kill off
Idioms-
Render extinct, eliminate completely, as in The plague killed off entire villages and towns . [c. 1600]
-
Represent as dead, as in This mystery writer kills off a new victim in almost every chapter . [Mid-1800s]
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.
Health officials have advised the public to thoroughly wash produce, avoid certain fruits like raspberries, and cook vegetables to kill off the pathogen - but they still have not identified its sources.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
By definition, it has not been pasteurized, the simple process of heating milk to kill off harmful bacteria.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
At one point on back-to-back plays, Carter Mirabal had a block and Vaughan Flaherty followed with a kill off an assist from Spalding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
Filmmakers and critics fretted, reasonably, that a Netflix acquisition would kill off the moviegoing experience for good, in light of Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos’ professed antipathy toward theater-exclusive releases.
From Slate ● Feb. 27, 2026
The same woman asked, “Did the freeze kill off the rest of your fish?”
From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor
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.
