murderer

American  

[mur-der-er] / ˈmɜr dər ər /

noun

1. a person who commits murder.

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idioms

1. 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."

Example Sentences

It's easy to imagine you would act rationally, morally and without hesitation but Should I Marry a Murderer?,

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

We are in the post-"Tiger King" and "Making a Murderer" era, after all.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2024

The concept for the show comes from a joke in another movie staring Myers, So I Married an Axe Murderer.

From The Verge • Mar. 16, 2022

The Wisconsin Court of Appeals on Wednesday unanimously rejected "Making a Murderer" subject Steven Avery's request for a hearing on new evidence that he wanted to present for a new trial.

From Fox News • Jul. 28, 2021

She remembered the ghosts on the balcony in San Juan - pointing at her, whispering accusations: Murderer.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• assassin
• executioner