slay

verb

slew ˈslü How to pronounce slay (audio) also especially in sense 2 slayed; slain ˈslān How to pronounce slay (audio) ; slaying; slays
1
transitive : to kill violently, wantonly, or in great numbers
slay the enemy
This was the appearance of a dreadful epidemic which in that age, and long before and afterward, was wont to slay its hundreds and thousands on both sides of the Atlantic.Nathaniel Hawthorne
broadly : to strike down : kill
slay a dragon
"It's a lot easier to slay a vampire with a stake in the heart than it is to slay some of our demons that are in our heads." Rachel T. Hill
2
transitive informal : to delight or amuse immensely
slayed the audience
… [Seth Rogen] is currently slaying critics with Superbad, which he co-wrote with Evan Goldberg.Tanner Stransky
3
transitive + intransitive informal : to do something or perform exceptionally well or impressively : to be exceptionally impressive
From the Let Girls Learn initiative to her Vogue covers, [Yara Shahidi] slays it all.Rebecca Sun
Beyoncé did not come to this year's Grammy Awards just to slay, she came to make a statement.Jackie Fields
From the red carpet to her sure-to-be epic performance, one thing is for certain—she's gonna slay.Quinn Keaney
slayer noun
Choose the Right Synonym for slay

kill, slay, murder, assassinate, dispatch, execute mean to deprive of life.

kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident
frost killed the plants

slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

Examples of slay in a Sentence

The knight slew the dragon. millions have been slain worldwide by this dreadful disease
Recent Examples on the Web Authorities identified those who were slain as King City residents Alicia Ramirez Aparicio, Francisco Aldape Perez and Olivo Perez Pina, all 32, and 42-year-old Mario Guzman Mendoza. Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 At least 39 people have been slain, 19 of them candidates for local positions. Emiliano Rodríguez Mega, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Nineteen children and teenagers were slain in 2023. Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 The bogus arrest warrant, signed by an actual Haitian judge, was at the core of the conspiracy, which evolved into an assassination plot in the days before the Haitian leader was slain, according to the indictments in Miami and Haiti. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024 Others involved in the new campaign include the families of 23-year-old Akilah Dasilva, one of four people slain during a 2018 shooting at a Waffle House restaurant in Tennessee, and 10-year-old Uziyah Garcia, who died in the 2022 massacre at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school. Terry Spencer, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024 The eternally slaying Gina Torres plays the defendant, brought to the stand for overspending on her foundation, while her Suits costars Rick Hoffman brings the charges as her prosecutor and Sarah Rafferty keeps 'em all honest as the court stenographer. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 7 Feb. 2024 At a press conference held Wednesday in New York, two former members of the slain icon’s security detail delivered statements saying undercover New York police officer Robert Wood lured them into discussion of an outlandish plan to destroy national monuments, including the Statue of Liberty. Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 The prosecution’s case against Cantu The car belonging to his slain cousin, James Mosqueda, a Chevrolet Corvette, was found parked outside the apartment Cantu shared with his fiancée, Amy Boettcher, just over a mile from the crime scene. Albinson Linares, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English slen, from Old English slēan to strike, slay; akin to Old High German slahan to strike, Middle Irish slachta stricken

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of slay was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near slay

Cite this Entry

“Slay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slay. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

slay

verb
slew ˈslü How to pronounce slay (audio) ; slain ˈslān How to pronounce slay (audio) ; slaying
: to put to death violently or in great numbers
slayer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on slay

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