slaying

1 of 2

noun

slay·​ing ˈslā-iŋ How to pronounce slaying (audio)
plural slayings
Synonyms of slayingnext
: the act of killing a person : killing, murder
—used chiefly in journalistic writing
a gangland slaying
Sunday's slayings bring to 14 the number of killings this year in what police call gang-related attacks.—Peter Stein
He is accused of ordering the 1989 slayings and robberies of three drug dealers …—Joseph P. Fried

slaying

2 of 2

present participle of slay

Synonyms of slaying

Relevance

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of slaying in a Sentence

Noun a man wanted for the slaying of seven people during an armed robbery
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Another man, Vincent Muscat, pleaded guilty in 2021 for his role in the slaying and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. — Kevin Schembri Orland, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 Prosecutors accused him of being the mastermind of the slaying and of having ordered and paid for it. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026 Charges were unsealed last week against one shooter in a deadly Gary gas station slaying, records show. — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026 But when similar slayings begin to occur years later, Pete and his ambitious young colleague, Detective Amanda Beck, must figure out whether Carter had an accomplice that got away, or if the murders are merely the work of a copycat. — Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for slaying

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of slaying was in the 14th century

Rhymes for slaying

See All Rhymes for slaying

Browse Nearby Words

slayer
slaying
SLBM
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slaying. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gist

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All