spree killer

noun

1. a person who kills more than one victim in more than one location in a very short period of time.

Other Word Forms

• spree killing noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of spree killer¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

At a local library, he goes down a rabbit hole of news stories about Charles Starkweather, the spree killer who inspired the film.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Fulminating at congressional inaction in the face of spree killers may be satisfying and even necessary.

Read more on Seattle Times

In the streaming series, his story coincides with the beginning of America’s obsession with serial and spree killers.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

So the weight of scientific opinion is that video games are not a decisive factor when a spree killer decides to act.

Read more on New York Times

He was no longer a murderer; he was a spree killer.

Read more on The Guardian