Synonyms

murderer

American

[mur-der-er] / ˈmɜr dər ər /

noun

a person who commits murder.

idioms

murderers' row,
1. the row of cells in a prison where murderers and other violent or hard-core criminals are held.
2. Baseball. a succession of heavy hitters scheduled to bat one after the other.
3. any group of notorious or important people.
  
  a murderers' row of talent;
  a murderers' row of philosophers.

Other Word Forms

self-murderer

noun

Etymology

Origin of murderer

1300–50; Middle English mortherer, mord ( e ) rer; see murder, -er ¹

Explanation

If you’re looking for a roommate and someone writes murderer under “occupation,” you should definitely keep looking. A murderer is a person who kills deliberately and without justification. In some instances, killing a person is considered a just or valid action — in a war, a soldier who kills another soldier is not considered to be a murderer, and people who kill in self-defense, to save themselves, are also not murderers. Killing out of anger or for money or revenge is murder, and anyone who does it is a murderer. Charles Manson is in jail for being a murderer. The Old English root of murderer is morðor, "unlawful killing."

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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.

With the help of the flock, Lily eventually weeds out George’s murderer among the colorful townspeople, but not before “The Sheep Detectives” lands a couple of remarkable gut punches.

From Salon • May 25, 2026

Reprising his Olivier-nominated London performance, Brody plays Nick Yarris, the convicted murderer who spent more than 21 years on death row before being exonerated for a crime he didn’t commit.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

He joked the comments made him look like a real murderer, and said: "People who don't know I was in The Traitors must think I'm a serial killer."

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

Dupie, a convicted murderer, is in a relationship with a niece of opposition leader Sandra Torres, a former first lady who has fought and lost the last three presidential elections.

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026

Even though he may be a murderer, I do not want him to die.

From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023