murder
Americannoun
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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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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)
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:
The development followed an earlier statement from Devon and Cornwall Police that, while they were keeping an open mind, there was "nothing to suggest" the murder was politically motivated.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Police in Australia have released previously unseen photographs from their investigation into the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio 25 years ago.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
From the time of his arrest for murder on Saturday, police would have had 96 hours to charge the suspect.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
A white British man, 28, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, was originally arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday, before being re-arrested on Monday on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
But Ophie did not know how to get the ghost to leave the girl, and clearly the realization about her murder had only made her stronger.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
He confirmed Stone was due to be visited on Thursday - the 30th anniversary of the murders.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
A former private detective, Hammett grounded his narrative in a corrupt Montana mining town, replacing the cozy murders of traditional whodunits with a seamier view of vice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
This is the last verse of “Streets of Minneapolis,” Springsteen’s protest song about the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
From Salon ● May 28, 2026
But his public image -- built in part on an official decrease in the number of murders -- has won many over.
From Barron's ● May 10, 2026
He was a Buddhist and believed in the laws of karma, so it made sense to him that he might pay for his war murders: everything comes back to you, nothing is accidental.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
“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
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey described Widdecombe as "a woman of deep faith who devoted her life to public service. The idea that she could have been murdered is truly horrifying".
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
He was murdered by two Japanese defectors, a diocesan investigation concluded in 2017.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
Five years earlier, as the Spider, he was a super-powered guardian of the people; but he gave it up after the love of his life was murdered on the Spider’s account.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026
That they were giving an award named after a beloved prime minister who had been tragically murdered by a deranged man to someone who represented people on death row revealed a lot about their values.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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
Three men accused of murdering journalist Lyra McKee in Northern Ireland more than seven years ago have been found not guilty.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Later that year, Simpson attended Trump’s wedding to Marla Maples, mere months before he was charged with murdering Brown and Goldman.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Despite the song’s title, though, Rhys didn’t know if Nile was guilty of murdering his wife when he signed on to “The Beast in Me.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
The government, it seemed, had never been in the habit of murdering people for not submitting their children to a public education.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
