slay

verb

ˈslā How to pronounce slay (audio)
Definition of slaynext
1
as in to kill
to deprive of life millions have been slain worldwide by this dreadful disease

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to assassinate
to put to death deliberately vowed to slay without mercy whoever was responsible for murdering his family

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word slay distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of slay are assassinate, dispatch, execute, kill, and murder. While all these words mean "to deprive of life," slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

Where would assassinate be a reasonable alternative to slay?

The words assassinate and slay can be used in similar contexts, but assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

In what contexts can dispatch take the place of slay?

Although the words dispatch and slay have much in common, dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

When can execute be used instead of slay?

The words execute and slay are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

When might kill be a better fit than slay?

The synonyms kill and slay are sometimes interchangeable, but kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident
frost killed the plants

When is it sensible to use murder instead of slay?

While in some cases nearly identical to slay, murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of slay The number of people slain so far in 2025: 148. Chicago homicides, by year Data for 2025 is updated through May 24, 2025. —Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2025 According to the Chicago Tribune, which keeps a running tally of the number of homicides in the city each year, 139 people have been slain in the troubled city so far in 2025, based on data through May 17. —Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 27 May 2025 Israeli President Isaac Herzog said early Thursday morning that the country remains united with the families of slain embassy staffers in Washington. —Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 22 May 2025 Russo, a 24-year FDNY veteran, had been expecting to retire in a few months when she was slain. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 20 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for slay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slay
  1. kill
  2. assassinate
  3. destroy
  4. murder
  5. execute
Verb
  • The California Department of Justice will investigate a fatal shooting by Los Angeles Police Department officers under a law that empowers the state attorney general to probe police shootings of unarmed people — despite the LAPD saying the man killed Tuesday was holding a gun.
    — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
  • The two teens were the third and fourth adolescents under 14 to be arrested in the Bronx for killing a bystander with a stray bullet to the head within six weeks.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 5 June 2025
Definition of kill
Verb
  • Milk was assassinated in 1978 by a former colleague on the board.
    — Jonathan Horwitz, Oc Register, 23 May 2025
  • The day after John F. Kennedy was assassinated, a little over four years earlier in 1963, Hartford Public Schools held a half-day so students could grieve.
    — Staff report, Hartford Courant, 21 May 2025
Definition of assassinate
Verb
  • Another key feature of algae oil is its high smoke point of 535 degrees—the temperature at which oil begins to break down, release dangerous chemicals, and destroy its nutrients.
    — Jonathan Purtell, Verywell Health, 27 May 2025
  • During the week of my embed, the Russian military identified and destroyed a few of the Vampire pilots’ positions.
    — Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Atlantic, 27 May 2025
Definition of destroy
Verb
  • More people are murdered in South Africa annually, with its population of just over 60 million, than across the entire Western world, with its population of almost a billion people.
    — Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2025
  • Officially, the Prime Video series (premiering May 29) is an adaptation of the 2019 novel by Alafair Burke, about a pair of estranged siblings, played by Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks, reuniting when one’s husband is murdered.
    — Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 26 May 2025
Definition of murder
Verb
  • The bride clarified that each idea only took about a minute to execute if not less time.
    — Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 27 May 2025
  • The Syrian government even returned the belongings of the Israeli spy Eli Cohen, who was executed in Damascus in 1965 after his espionage was discovered, in a goodwill gesture.
    — Natasha Hall, Foreign Affairs, 27 May 2025
Definition of execute

Browse Nearby Words

slavishness
slay
slayer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slay. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on slay

Nglish: Translation of slay for Spanish Speakers

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

'Bring' vs. 'Take'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

10 Hella Good U.S. Regionalisms

Some Data About 'Datum'

The Clinical History of 'Moron,' 'Idiot,' and 'Imbecile'
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language
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?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All