- present participle of kill.
killing
Americannoun
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killings
plural
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the act of a person or thing that kills.
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the total game killed on a hunt.
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Informal. a quick and unusually large profit or financial gain.
We would all like to win the lottery or make a killing in the stock market.
adjective
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Tuberculosis was a killing disease well into the 20th century, and society found itself with few remedies.
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exhausting.
An ever-expanding workload is imperceptible at first, but eventually we're operating at a killing pace.
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Informal. irresistibly funny.
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Slang. very attractive or fascinating.
The actress is known for her outstanding beauty and killing smile.
adjective
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informal very tiring; exhausting
a killing pace
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informal extremely funny; hilarious
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causing death; fatal
noun
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the act of causing death; slaying
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informal a sudden stroke of success, usually financial, as in speculations on the stock market (esp in the phrase make a killing )
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of killing
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English killing(e), kyllyng(e) (gerund); see kill 1, -ing 1, -ing 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The alleged killing risks rekindling tensions over the presence of the U.S. military on the Japanese island, where crimes committed by American servicemen have been a source of anger for years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Despite a period of separation, they had re-established their relationship by the night of the killing.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Good's killing triggered protests in Minneapolis and intensified scrutiny of the administration's deportation campaign.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Vesuvius erupted, burying Pompeii and killing his uncle, Pliny the Elder.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
Summer frosts damaged crops from North America to Asia, causing widespread famine, killing millions of people around the world.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
He does not know if or when Walker was alerted to that possibility, or if that was the reason for the killings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
Bass said the killings reflect, in part, a broader failure of the mental health system to get people the care they need.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
"Let's not get emotional, the gloves are off," said Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi on Thursday, adding that the authorities had the capacity to deal with the killings.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The group warned that while globally the number of documented killings had gone down from 146 in 2024 to 128 in 2025, its numbers were probably an underestimate as many cases went unreported.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
During that summer, prominent Catholic bishop Clemens von Galen railed against the killings in his sermons.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
