slay
Americanverb (used with object)
-
slays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
slayed,
past participle, past
-
slew,
past
-
slain,
past participle
-
slaying
present participle
-
to kill by violence.
In this game, your goal is to slay the evil dragon and take his hoard.
- Synonyms:
- assassinate, butcher, massacre, slaughter, murder
-
to destroy; extinguish.
Together we are slaying our self-doubt and working towards our dreams.
- Synonyms:
- ruin, annihilate
-
Slang.
-
to impress strongly and favorably; overwhelm, especially by humor.
Your jokes slay me.
-
to make a strong favorable impression with.
She really slayed her performance last night.
-
-
sley.
-
Obsolete. to strike.
verb (used without object)
-
slays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
slayed,
past participle, past
-
slew,
past
-
slain,
past participle
-
slaying
present participle
-
to kill or murder.
-
Slang. to have a strong favorable effect; to be remarkably impressive.
His whole album slays.
noun
idioms
verb
-
archaic to kill, esp violently
-
slang to impress (someone) sexually
-
obsolete to strike
Usage
What else does slay mean? Slay can mean "to kill a person or animal," "to make someone laugh," "to have sex with someone," or "to do something spectacularly well," especially when it comes to fashion, artistic performance, or self-confidence.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
slaysimple
-
slayssimple
-
have slainperfect
-
have slayedperfect
-
has slainperfect
-
has slayedperfect
-
am slayingprogressive
-
are slayingprogressive
-
is slayingprogressive
-
have been slayingperfect progressive
-
has been slayingperfect progressive
Past
-
slayedsimple
-
slewsimple
-
had slainperfect
-
had slayedperfect
-
was slayingprogressive
-
were slayingprogressive
-
had been slayingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of slay
First recorded before 900; Middle English sleen, slayn, Old English slēan; cognate with Dutch slaan, German schlagen, Old Norse slā, Gothic slahan “to strike, beat”
Explanation
Slay means to kill in a violent way. It has a mythic quality. You might slay the red knight. You might slay the dragon. You might slay the demon. But you probably wouldn't slay an annoying mosquito. Slay is an old word associated with knights and dragons. Like many old words it has some funky forms. When you killed someone or something in the past you say slew, as in "St. George slew the dragon." When you've already done it, you say you have slain.
Vocabulary lists containing slay
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act IV
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"A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury
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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:
See: Warsh says he’s determined to slay inflation.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
“My friend Chrissie is a champion of champions and as such she will slay this monster again,” Navratilova wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
"My friend Chrissie is a champion of champions and as such she will slay this monster again," said long-time rival and friend Martina Navratilova.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
In the process, they demonstrated the blueprint that shows why they might be better equipped than any other team in the sport to slay the mighty Dodgers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2025
“The heart and the brain are surest. Witches can be tricky. This is the only talisman I am certain will slay Muriel.”
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
If Evil-Lyn can stop Adam with a freeze-ray, why does she wait until he slays many of her colleagues to do so?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Powell slays a dragon, he listens to Van Halen, he quotes William Wallace, and carves a self-portrait out of a tree.
From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2025
They have become renowned for their pre-game build-up, the highlight being a video show projected onto the ice in which an armour-clad knight on skates slays a fire-breathing dragon.
From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2024
Later, Salazar slays a lion — played by an actor who roars while aggressively waving a hula hoop lined with streamers — which elicits a similar crowd reaction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2021
“But me, I think instead of writing about baseball or football, I’m gonna write about a knight who slays a fire-breathing dragon.”
From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper
He has won every election by a landslide, slayed the dragons, corraled the wild beasts and brought peace, tranquility and a great economy to his kingdom.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
The dragon, of course, hasn’t been slayed yet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2025
Moderates are taking the proposal in stride, declaring victory after having slayed the sort of overhauls that Roy and others were pushing for.
From Slate ● May 13, 2025
"We literally ran from the Radisson Red, there were no soundchecks and Daniel went on and just absolutely slayed the audience. He was just sensational," he said.
From BBC ● May 6, 2024
Girls wear their hair colored, curled, laid, and slayed.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
Singer and businesswoman Dolly Parton, who died earlier this week, had a slew of projects in the pipeline including a biopic, documentary, avatar show, museum, travel stop for truckers, coffee brand and dog treats.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Investors found a slew of reasons to lean into the software trade on Wednesday, and ServiceNow’s stock was out in front.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced late last year to 17 years behind bars after being charged with a slew of crimes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
House races, California voters in November will also weigh in on a slew of ballot measures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
When she saw a monstrous turtle destroy a hundred villages with each step of his foot, she flew down in a fury and slew it with her sword.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
“Princess Mononoke” begins with a worm-covered demon attacking a pastoral village, only to be slain by its prince, Ashitaka.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
The children of Grammy-nominated rapper and activist Nipsey Hussle have reportedly received their share of his estate, more than seven years after he was slain in South Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Three days of public mourning in Tehran for its slain supreme leader ended with a major political spectacle the men now in charge wanted the world to see.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Mojtaba Khamenei, the slain supreme leader’s son and successor, wasn’t expected to attend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
It was a holy card of San Miguel lifting his huge wings above the slain dragon.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
“In many ways, he always thought that he was Saint George slaying the dragon,” the author writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
RBA Gov. Michele Bullock avoided giving forward guidance to markets, but made it abundantly clear that she is serious about slaying the inflation dragon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026
All charges have been dismissed against one of four suspects in the 2023 slaying of Oakland police Officer Tuan Le, Alameda County D.A. says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025
Prosecutors have provided no overarching theory on why Colosio was targeted, and who was behind his slaying.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2025
We call it walking high, and even if we haven't been going on any dangerous quests lately, so the Fair Gwen won't have to throw a fit, Freak hasn't exactly given up on slaying dragons.
From "Freak The Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick
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.
