homicide
Americannoun
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the killing of a human being by another person
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a person who kills another
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of homicide
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin homicīdium “a killing,” homicīda “killer,” equivalent to homi- (combining form of homō “man”) + -cīdium, -cīda, noun suffix; see -cide
Explanation
The noun homicide means a murder. If you kill another person, you are committing a homicide. The level of the homicide is legally defined as murder if the act was intentional and as manslaughter if it was unintentional. Remember the meaning of homicide by remembering that cide, from the Latin cida, refers to killing, while the Latin homo means "man.” So homicide means “killing a man.” You can see another example in this quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes: “Life and language are alike sacred. Homicide and verbicide — that is, violent treatment of a word with fatal results to its legitimate meaning, which is its life — are alike forbidden.”
Vocabulary lists containing homicide
Tears of a Tiger
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Latin Love, Vol II: cadere
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And Then There Were None
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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.
As is common, the two were tried separately, and Bullins reached a plea deal that led to a 20-year sentence for homicide.
From Slate • May 28, 2026
Jonathan Andic, son of late Mango founder Isak Andic, filed a court defense against a judge’s homicide allegation in his father’s 2024 death.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
While the homicide rate has decreased, Honduras still has the second-highest homicide rate in the Americas, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Most of Haymon’s 26-year legal career has been in the public defender’s office, handling juvenile and adult cases that range from petty theft to homicide.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
These statistics, compiled by the criminologist Manuel Eisner, track the historical homicide levels in five European regions.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
