slayer

American  

[sley-er] / ˈsleɪ ər /

noun

1. a person who kills another person or creature, usually violently, or who destroys something.

   In the movie, the prince is a dragon slayer on a mission to kill the dragon responsible for corrupting the heart of the king.

   In Hindu legend, the goddess Kalaratri is worshiped as the slayer of darkness and ignorance.

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Etymology

Origin of slayer

slay ( def. ) + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Dr. Ilko argues that Guglielmo's reputation as a dragon slayer came from his role in cleansing the environment and restoring the valley's productivity.

From Science Daily • Feb. 2, 2026

Slayer rules come into play whenever someone who would otherwise inherit assets from an estate is convicted of or found liable for murder, and the slayer is entitled to inherit from the victim.

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2025

All states have some form of a slayer rule that prevents killers from inheriting from their victims.

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2025

She developed a reputation as a giant slayer by outcompeting market-leader Intel a decade ago to take the lead in producing central processing units, or CPUs, for personal computers and data centers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

In the end it came down to four; the Hound and his monstrous brother Gregor, Jaime Lannister the King- slayer, and Ser Loras Tyreil, the youth they called the Knight of Flowers.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin