slay
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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.
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to make a strong favorable impression with.
She really slayed her performance last night.
-
-
sley.
-
Obsolete. to strike.
verb (used without object)
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"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.
The Steelers have prioritized improving at cornerback this offseason, signing free agent Darius Slay Jr. in addition to trading for Ramsey, who has 24 career interceptions.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2025
The cornerback tandem of Quinyon Mitchell and Darius Slay is smothering.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2025
Christine finishes the viral video by saying: "Whether you need to recover from a brat summer or menty b - this is the place for you. Slay!"
From BBC • Sep. 5, 2024
Play if you liked: Inscryption or Slay the Spire.
From New York Times • Mar. 12, 2024
“Mom is not with a guy named Slay but may be with a guy whose name starts with a J.”
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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.
