killing

[kil-ing]

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that kills.

2. the total game killed on a hunt.

3. 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

1. fatal; deadly.

   Tuberculosis was a killing disease well into the 20th century, and society found itself with few remedies.

2. exhausting.

   An ever-expanding workload is imperceptible at first, but eventually we're operating at a killing pace.

3. Informal.,  irresistibly funny.

4. Slang.,  very attractive or fascinating.

   The actress is known for her outstanding beauty and killing smile.

killing

/ ˈkɪlɪŋ /

adjective

1. informal,  very tiring; exhausting

   a killing pace

2. informal,  extremely funny; hilarious

3. causing death; fatal

noun

1. the act of causing death; slaying

2. 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

• killingly adverb
• self-killing adjective
• unkilling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of killing¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English killing(e), kyllyng(e) (gerund); kill ¹, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

Many traditional approaches required killing and preserving cells at different time points, producing only isolated snapshots instead of a continuous view.

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“We’re in it for one thing. We want the killing to stop.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Yet even with fewer killings to investigate, homicide “clearance rates,” a measure of how often cases are solved by police, remain steady.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

An Indian fighter jet crashed during a flying display at the Dubai Airshow on Friday, killing the pilot, a government statement said.

Read more on Barron's

Mr Aveling added his biggest hope was for a U-turn on planned changes to inheritance rules, which he said risked "killing family farms".

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• assassination 
• bloodshed 
• carnage 
• homicide 
• manslaughter 
• massacre 
• slaughter 
• slaying www.thesaurus.com