slay
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
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to destroy; extinguish.
Together we are slaying our self-doubt and working towards our dreams.
- Synonyms:
- ruin, annihilate
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Slang.
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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.
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sley.
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Obsolete. to strike.
verb (used without object)
-
to kill or murder.
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Slang. to have a strong favorable effect; to be remarkably impressive.
His whole album slays.
noun
idioms
verb
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archaic to kill, esp violently
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slang to impress (someone) sexually
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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
- slayable adjective
- slayer noun
- unslayable adjective
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”
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.
There are windmills to slay, crises to fabricate, rings to kiss.
From Los Angeles Times
Doc took to the servers like someone trying to slay a dragon.
From Literature
In her imaginary world of Mariposa, Natalie had turned the ugly, monstrous pythons into dragons and sent brave knights out to slay them.
From Literature
He inspires their ire and gives them dragons to slay.
The slaying sparked public outcry, nationwide protests and scrutiny of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who said the agent was acting in self-defense.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
