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:
At the dawn of the internet, a select group of companies made a killing creating the equipment and business model for the system of glass strands bundled in cables, known as a fiber-optic network.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
Last week’s calls from inside the house that A.I. companies are at risk of losing control of their monsters and killing everyone—true or not!—have continued to sweep the news.
From Slate ● Sep. 19, 2026
The lone holdout juror in the trial of Lindsay Clancy has said he "didn't have any doubts" that she was criminally responsible for killing her three children.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
During the past two decades, however, researchers have discovered that apoptotic caspases are not limited to killing cells.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
“My feet are killing me. I hate these boots. They smell disgusting, and they’re too small. I’ll have blisters the size of oranges once this is over.”
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
"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
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday said "no stone will be left unturned" to solve the killings, acknowledging "these incidents are causing fear and uncertainty in our communities, and especially among women".
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
Global Witness says that 85% of the documented killings took place in Latin America, making it the deadliest region for every year since the group started publishing its reports in 2012.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Much of the trial focused on Clancy’s attempts to manage her mental health in the months before the killings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
It was rare for a witch to be jailed; only killings on a mass scale and usage of dangerous Forbidden Curses ever warranted it.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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.
