murder
Americannoun
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murders
plural
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Law. the killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in law. In the U.S., special statutory definitions include murder committed with malice aforethought, characterized by deliberation or premeditation or occurring during the commission of another serious crime, as robbery or arson first-degree murder, ormurder one, and murder by intent but without deliberation or premeditation second-degree murder, ormurder two.
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Slang. something extremely difficult or perilous.
That final exam was murder!
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a group or flock of crows.
verb (used with object)
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murders,
present (3rd person singular)
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murdered,
past participle, past
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murdering
present participle
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Law. to kill by an act constituting murder.
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to kill or slaughter inhumanly or barbarously.
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to spoil or mar by bad performance, representation, pronunciation, etc..
The tenor murdered the aria.
verb (used without object)
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murders,
present (3rd person singular)
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murdered,
past participle, past
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murdering
present participle
idioms
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yell / scream bloody murder,
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to scream loudly in pain, fear, etc.
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to protest loudly and angrily.
If I don't get a good raise I'm going to yell bloody murder.
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murder will out, a secret will eventually be exposed.
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get away with murder, to engage in a deplorable activity without incurring harm or punishment.
The new baby-sitter lets the kids get away with murder.
noun
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the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another Compare manslaughter homicide
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informal something dangerous, difficult, or unpleasant
driving around London is murder
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informal to make an outcry
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informal to escape censure; do as one pleases
verb
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(also intr) to kill (someone) unlawfully with premeditation or during the commission of a crime
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to kill brutally
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informal to destroy; ruin
he murdered her chances of happiness
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informal to defeat completely; beat decisively
the home team murdered their opponents
Usage
What’s the difference between murder and manslaughter? Murder is the legal term for the intentional killing of someone or the killing of someone as the result of a complete disregard for their life. Manslaughter is the legal term for the act of killing someone without intending to, often in an accidental way. There are many specific conditions and interpretations surrounding what constitutes murder and manslaughter, and laws vary by location. The word murder is also commonly used in more general ways. In legal contexts, though, it’s typically used in a way that implies that the killing was intentional or the result of a complete disregard for the victim’s life, and this is the crucial difference between the words. In the U. S., manslaughter can be classified as voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary manslaughter often involves a person who kills someone through voluntary actions but without intending to harm them. For example, this could apply to a person who unintentionally kills someone during a fight after having been provoked to fight (especially when their actions are considered to go beyond those deemed appropriate for self-defense). Acts labeled as involuntary manslaughter are often reckless but accidental. For example, the term may be applied to a case in which a driver kills someone as a result of their reckless driving (this is sometimes specifically called vehicular manslaughter). On the other hand, a person who intentionally runs someone over with their car would likely be charged with murder (unless it involved self-defense). Many jurisdictions classify murders with different degrees. For example, if a person intentionally runs someone over with their car after having planned to do it (that is, after having premeditated it), the act would be called first-degree murder. However, if the killing was intentional but not premeditated, it would be called second-degree murder. Of course, the official charge is typically based on what can be proven during a trial. Here’s an example of murder and manslaughter used correctly in the same sentence. Example: The accused was originally charged with manslaughter because it appeared to be a reckless driving accident, but the charge was changed to first-degree murder when the police discovered journals in which the driver had written plans to kill the victim and make it look like an accident. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between murder and manslaughter.
Synonym Usage
See kill 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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murdersimple
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murderssimple
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have murderedperfect
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has murderedperfect
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am murderingprogressive
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are murderingprogressive
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is murderingprogressive
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have been murderingperfect progressive
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has been murderingperfect progressive
Past
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murderedsimple
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had murderedperfect
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was murderingprogressive
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were murderingprogressive
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had been murderingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of murder
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English mo(u)rdre, murder, variant (influenced by Old French murdre, from Germanic ) of murthre; see murther
Explanation
To murder is to kill, and it's illegal. Murder is one of the worst crimes of all. While murdering sometimes means mangling something (like murdering a speech you were trying to give) it usually means killing — but not just any killing. If you kill someone by accident or in self-defense, that's not murder. If a soldier kills an enemy, that's not murder. Murder is a planned, illegal form of taking someone's life. If you read a law book, you'll see how complicated murder can be.
Vocabulary lists containing murder
"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act II
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
His adult co-defendant in Jackson’s killing was sentenced to 29 years, but juveniles, even those convicted of murder, cannot be held in custody in California beyond their 20s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
The expected plea potentially resolves the federal case just a month before Mangione is scheduled to go to trial in state court on murder and other charges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
“Under the Falls,” Richard Russo’s first full-blown thriller in his 40-year career, doesn’t start with a shocking murder, but a three-page meditation on the Adirondack Mountains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Under changes to the Sentencing Act made this year, Cole and Bowers, who were found not guilty of murder, will become eligible for release from custody next January after serving half of their sentences.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
At the time of Anna’s murder, the Osage County sheriff, who carried the bulk of responsibility for maintaining law and order in the area, was a fifty-eight-year-old, three-hundred-pound frontiersman named Harve M. Freas.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
A former gang leader goes on trial Monday in Las Vegas over the decades-old murder of rapper Tupac Shakur, one of America's most high-profile unresolved murders.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
“Furious,” which premieres Monday on Hulu, is technically a serial killer story, since there are multiple murders committed by a single character, but happily that is the least of it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Manson’s connection to the home lingered for decades, and less than 30 years after those murders, the dwelling, which had been owned by music producer Terry Melcher, was demolished.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
The second series, which concluded its six-episode run in June on BBC One, saw her team up once again with Timothy Spall's John Chapel to solve murders in the Welsh countryside.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
A storm, attempted murders, witches, wizards, invisible spirits, revolutions, characters drinking until they’re dead drunk, an angry monster named Caliban—can you believe it?
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Wednesday that local and national authorities would go after those who had murdered him - and those who had ordered it.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Talking about the “Pluribus” season finale, she said that while she’s never murdered anyone, she has felt out-of-control rage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
“IBM trading like Claude murdered Watson,” Ken Wattana, founder of an AI agentic company called Conto, joked on X Tuesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
He also showed a video in which men dressed all in black held a vigil in memory of Kriss Donald, a white teenager who was murdered in 2004.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Some said he had been murdered by Cossacks; for a time there was even a rumor that he had been converted to Christianity and had gone to live in France.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
The sister of the woman Knox was acquitted of murdering has objected to the show that is due to be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe festival.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Maternity notes for the babies Lucy Letby has been convicted of murdering were not made available to her defence ahead of her trial, the BBC has learned.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Mitchell sees Aemond as a product of his circumstances, rather than just a murdering psychopath.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Three men were on Friday found not guilty of murdering Northern Irish journalist Lyra McKee six years ago, in a high-profile killing that attracted global attention.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
I could see he was murdering a fried-fish sandwich.
From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore
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.
