kill off

Idioms  

1. Render extinct, eliminate completely, as in The plague killed off entire villages and towns . [c. 1600]

2. Represent as dead, as in This mystery writer kills off a new victim in almost every chapter . [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

The new model “might be an ‘upgrade’ but it’s an upgrade that’s killed off someone I have grown to appreciate as a friend and companion.”

From The Wall Street Journal

While tweaking the script for “The Bourne Ultimatum,” he killed off Bourne, according to Lee’s biography.

From The Wall Street Journal

Almost all of the filming was done in Scotland – where three decades later Tim Roth returned to make John MacLean's Tornado, and was relieved to find the wintry temperatures had killed off the midges.

From BBC

But a brilliant solo goal from Brennan Johnson killed off the game before half-time.

From Barron's

Before the European settlers arrived and killed off most of the indigenous people, Greenbrier County was part of the Can-tuc-kee territory, where the Shawnee and Cherokee peoples lived.

From Literature

Related Words

• annihilate
• exterminate
• obliterate
• slaughter
• wipe out