murderer

[mur-der-er]

noun

1. a person who commits murder.

Other Word Forms

• self-murderer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of murderer¹

1300–50; Middle English mortherer, mord ( e ) rer; murder, -er ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. murderers' row,

   1. the row of cells in a prison where murderers and other violent or hard-core criminals are held.

   2. Baseball. a succession of heavy hitters scheduled to bat one after the other.

   3. any group of notorious or important people.

      a murderers' row of talent;

      a murderers' row of philosophers.

Example Sentences

Double child murderer Colin Pitchfork has had his request to be released from prison turned down by the Parole Board.

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The region also is home to one of the country’s recent pasta innovations—spaghetti all’assassina, or “murderer’s style”—invented in Bari in the 1960s.

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Convicted murderers sit alongside famous actors and journalists, applauding films made by their fellow inmates.

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"She is a murderer but she didn't deserve to be taken from the world in the way that she was," said grandson Stephen Beard.

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Italy's Sports Minister Andrea Abodi described the attack as a "shocking assault," carried out by "criminals who have turned into murderers and can never be called fans," he said.

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Related Words

• assassin 
• executioner