slay
Americanverb (used with object)
-
slays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
slayed,
past participle, past
-
slew,
past
-
slain,
past participle
-
slaying
present participle
-
to kill by violence.
In this game, your goal is to slay the evil dragon and take his hoard.
- Synonyms:
- assassinate, butcher, massacre, slaughter, murder
-
to destroy; extinguish.
Together we are slaying our self-doubt and working towards our dreams.
- Synonyms:
- ruin, annihilate
-
Slang.
-
to impress strongly and favorably; overwhelm, especially by humor.
Your jokes slay me.
-
to make a strong favorable impression with.
She really slayed her performance last night.
-
-
sley.
-
Obsolete. to strike.
verb (used without object)
-
slays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
slayed,
past participle, past
-
slew,
past
-
slain,
past participle
-
slaying
present participle
-
to kill or murder.
-
Slang. to have a strong favorable effect; to be remarkably impressive.
His whole album slays.
noun
idioms
verb
-
archaic to kill, esp violently
-
slang to impress (someone) sexually
-
obsolete to strike
Usage
What else does slay mean? Slay can mean "to kill a person or animal," "to make someone laugh," "to have sex with someone," or "to do something spectacularly well," especially when it comes to fashion, artistic performance, or self-confidence.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
slaysimple
-
slayssimple
-
have slainperfect
-
have slayedperfect
-
has slainperfect
-
has slayedperfect
-
am slayingprogressive
-
are slayingprogressive
-
is slayingprogressive
-
have been slayingperfect progressive
-
has been slayingperfect progressive
Past
-
slayedsimple
-
slewsimple
-
had slainperfect
-
had slayedperfect
-
was slayingprogressive
-
were slayingprogressive
-
had been slayingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slay
First recorded before 900; Middle English sleen, slayn, Old English slēan; cognate with Dutch slaan, German schlagen, Old Norse slā, Gothic slahan “to strike, beat”
Explanation
Slay means to kill in a violent way. It has a mythic quality. You might slay the red knight. You might slay the dragon. You might slay the demon. But you probably wouldn't slay an annoying mosquito. Slay is an old word associated with knights and dragons. Like many old words it has some funky forms. When you killed someone or something in the past you say slew, as in "St. George slew the dragon." When you've already done it, you say you have slain.
Vocabulary lists containing slay
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act IV
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"A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury
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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:
See: Warsh says he’s determined to slay inflation.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
"My friend Chrissie is a champion of champions and as such she will slay this monster again," said long-time rival and friend Martina Navratilova.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
There are windmills to slay, crises to fabricate, rings to kiss.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026
In the process, they demonstrated the blueprint that shows why they might be better equipped than any other team in the sport to slay the mighty Dodgers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2025
It wasn’t a sword to slay a dragon, but it would serve its purpose.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
If Evil-Lyn can stop Adam with a freeze-ray, why does she wait until he slays many of her colleagues to do so?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Powell slays a dragon, he listens to Van Halen, he quotes William Wallace, and carves a self-portrait out of a tree.
From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2025
Now as “Shōgun’s” Lord Toranaga, the Japanese martial arts star has room to stretch beyond impressive swordfighting scenes … and he slays.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2024
They have become renowned for their pre-game build-up, the highlight being a video show projected onto the ice in which an armour-clad knight on skates slays a fire-breathing dragon.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2024
“But me, I think instead of writing about baseball or football, I’m gonna write about a knight who slays a fire-breathing dragon.”
From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper
Moderates are taking the proposal in stride, declaring victory after having slayed the sort of overhauls that Roy and others were pushing for.
From Slate ● May 13, 2025
The film, which was produced by Margot Robbie, slayed at Sundance last year and was quickly snapped up for a reported $15 million after a bidding war.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2024
"We literally ran from the Radisson Red, there were no soundchecks and Daniel went on and just absolutely slayed the audience. He was just sensational," he said.
From BBC ● May 6, 2024
Godzilla finally made it to the Oscars this year — and slayed.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 10, 2024
Girls wear their hair colored, curled, laid, and slayed.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
And that goes for a slew of major-category Emmy nominees such as “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” which has filmed on stages all over L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Stepping into the newly renovated Vilnius airport, visitors are greeted with a slew of billboards advertising products "Made in Lithuania", including cybersecurity giant NordVPN.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
These latest duties will affect some 60 economies, hitting nearly all U.S. imports, with rates from 10% to 12.5%, and they come on top of a slew of other border taxes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Instead, he pointed to a slew of reasons.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Two nights before my execution date, I have a slew of dreams while trying to sleep against my cell's wall.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
Under a blazing sun, clad in black and clutching portraits of their slain leader Ali Khamenei, Iranian pilgrims streamed across the border into Iraq to observe the Arbaeen, the most revered event in Shia Islam.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
“Princess Mononoke” begins with a worm-covered demon attacking a pastoral village, only to be slain by its prince, Ashitaka.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
The plane was carrying a Houthi delegation returning from the funeral of slain Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali al-Khamenei, the Yemeni defense ministry said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
The children of Grammy-nominated rapper and activist Nipsey Hussle have reportedly received their share of his estate, more than seven years after he was slain in South Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
On the other hand, when women died a swift and painless death, they were held to have been slain by her silver arrows.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
His whereabouts are known by the loathsome twin giant worms, a brother and sister, who took over the planet Nal Hutta after the slaying of its gangster boss, Jabba the Hutt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
RBA Gov. Michele Bullock avoided giving forward guidance to markets, but made it abundantly clear that she is serious about slaying the inflation dragon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026
All charges have been dismissed against one of four suspects in the 2023 slaying of Oakland police Officer Tuan Le, Alameda County D.A. says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025
Prosecutors have provided no overarching theory on why Colosio was targeted, and who was behind his slaying.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2025
“He’s slaying the monster, Jack,” May repeated unhelpfully.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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.
