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:
He has taken more than 100 jury trials to verdict, including murder, special circumstances and three-strikes cases, some of which carried sentences of death or life in prison.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee halted executions in the state after a woman convicted of murder survived two doses of lethal injection before she was rushed to hospital for medical care.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Kaepernick watched the Mario Woods video at his parents’ home, as his mother questioned Woods’ role in his murder.
From Salon ● Sep. 29, 2026
It stems from a flawed filing from his office backing a new trial for Dennis Johnson, a man convicted of murder who has maintained his innocence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 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
She said state prosecutors had presented numerous pieces of evidence showing Clancy was in a healthy mental state at the time of the murders during the trial.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
It reveals a scenario in which the murders may never have taken place at all.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
One of the purported motivations for “Juiced” was getting Simpson to confess to the murders on camera, though the proviso going in was that no one could bring them up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
It revealed that the lead detective who investigated the murders - a key trial witness - and two prosecution solicitors had been staying at the same hotel as the sequestered jury.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
I imagine it well, but Marv murders it instantly with one savage breath.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
“My grandparents were murdered in concentration camps. And to see how the world, again, is swinging that direction, where there are too many people in favor of a totalitarian government, is crazy,” Eliot said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Ryan Speedo Green was an eloquent Banquo; Freddie De Tommaso’s bright tenor brought poignant lyricism to Macduff’s lament for his murdered family.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
During the mourning chorus for the murdered King Duncan, for example, they robed the Macbeths in ermine and handed them crowns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 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
The white mechanic testified that McMillian's truck was not a low-rider in November 1986 when Ronda Morrison was murdered.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
The lawyer for Lindsay Clancy urged a judge Tuesday to acquit the US mother accused of murdering her three children after a jury failed to reach a verdict in the high-profile case.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
To wit: Sexton received 3,000 emails from a Kansas housewife obsessed with clearing the name of Dana Chandler, who had been convicted of murdering her ex-husband and his girlfriend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
After just two hours of deliberation, a jury found 63-year-old Duane "Keffe D" Davis guilty of murdering rapper Tupac Shakur in 1996.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
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
And as for finding and defeating the evil in the castle...well, now that it seemed tied to who was murdering the Champions, how could she not try to figure out where it was coming from?
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
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.
