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

Separately, he said he believed Norris had expressed genuine remorse for the killing - adding that some of it had been expressed "nowhere near a parole hearing".

From BBC

A man who has often posed as a lawyer on TikTok has been found guilty of killing an elderly woman in a crash.

From BBC

The administration asserts left-wing radicals are responsible for the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and a sniper attack on the ICE field office in Dallas.

From Los Angeles Times

"We've got to stop these children having these lethal weapons before they start killing people," she said.

From BBC

The FBI has also claimed he had admitted building a device which exploded in a West Berlin nightclub in 1986, killing three people, including two US servicemen, and injuring dozens more.

From BBC

Related Words

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