Adjacent Words

Slay definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SLAY, v.t. pret. slew; pp. slain. [The proper sense is to strike, and as beating was an early mode of killing, this word, like smite, came to signify to kill. It seems to be formed on the root of lay; as we say to lay on.]
1. To kill; to put to death by a weapon or by violence. We say, he slew a man with a sword, with a stone, or with a club, or with other arms; but we never say, the serif slays a malefactor with a halter, or a man is slain on the gallows or by poison. So the slay retains something of its primitive sense of striking or beating. It is particularly applied to killing in battle, but is properly applied also to the killing of a individual man or beast.
2. To destroy.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: kill intentionally and with premeditation; "The mafia boss ordered his enemies murdered" [syn: murder, slay, hit, dispatch, bump off, off, polish off, remove]

Merriam Webster's

verb (slew; also especially in sense 2 slayed; slain; slaying) Etymology: Middle English slen, from Old English sl?an to strike, slay; akin to Old High German slahan to strike, Middle Irish slachta stricken Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. to kill violently, wantonly, or in great numbers; broadly to strike down ; kill 2. to delight or amuse immensely <slayed the audience> intransitive verb kill, murder Synonyms: see kill • slayer noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. v.tr. (past slew; past part. slain) 1 literary or joc. kill. 2 sl. overwhelm with delight; convulse with laughter. Derivatives: slayer n. Etymology: OE slean f. Gmc 2. var. of SLEY.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Slay Slay, v. t. [imp. Slew; p. p. Slain; p. pr. & vb. n. Slaying.] [OE. slan, sl?n, sleen, slee, AS. sle['a]n to strike, beat, slay; akin to OFries. sl[=a], D. slaan, OS. & OHG. slahan, G. schlagen, Icel. sl[=a], Dan. slaae, Sw. sl?, Goth. slahan; perhaps akin to L. lacerare to tear to pieces, Gr. ????, E. lacerate. Cf. Slaughter, Sledge a hammer, Sley.] To put to death with a weapon, or by violence; hence, to kill; to put an end to; to destroy. With this sword then will I slay you both. --Chaucer. I will slay the last of them with the sword. --Amos ix. 1. I'll slay more gazers than the basilisk. --Shak. Syn: To kill; murder; slaughter; butcher.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(slays, slaying, slew, slayed, slain) 1. If someone slays an animal, they kill it in a violent way. (FORMAL) ...the hill where St George slew the dragon. VERB: V n 2. If someone has been slain, they have been murdered. (mainly AM) Two Australian tourists were slain. V-PASSIVE: be V-ed

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Kill, slaughter, murder, massacre, despatch, butcher, assassinate. 2. Destroy, ruin, put an end to.

Moby Thesaurus

amuse, annihilate, assassinate, becharm, beguile, bereave of life, bewitch, bump off, butcher, captivate, carry away, carry off, charm, chloroform, convulse, cool, cut down, cut off, delectate, delight, deprive of life, destroy, dispatch, dispose of, divert, do away with, do for, do in, do to death, down, dust off, enchant, end, enliven, enrapture, enravish, entertain, enthrall, entrance, execute, exhilarate, exterminate, fascinate, finish, finish off, fracture one, freak out, immolate, imparadise, kill, knock dead, knock off, knock out, launch into eternity, lay low, liquidate, loosen up, lynch, make away with, martyr, martyrize, poison, purge, put away, put down, put to death, put to sleep, raise a laugh, raise a smile, ravish, recreate, refresh, regale, relax, remove from life, sacrifice, send, solace, starve, take life, take off, thrill, tickle, tickle pink, titillate, transport, wow