killer

[ kil-er ]

noun

1. a person or thing that kills. kill.
2. killer whale.
3. a device used by a post office for printing cancellations on postage stamps.
4. a mark of cancellation made on a postage stamp.
5. Slang. something or someone having a formidable impact, devastating effect, etc.:

   The math test was a real killer.

adjective

, Slang.

1. severe; powerful:

   a killer cold.

2. very difficult or demanding:

   a killer chess tournament.

3. highly effective; superior:

   a killer recipe for fried chicken.

killer

/ ˈkɪlə /

noun

1. 1. a person or animal that kills, esp habitually
   2. ( as modifier )

      a killer shark

2. something, esp a task or activity, that is particularly taxing or exhausting
3. an animal selected to be slaughtered for food

Other Words From

• self-killer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of killer¹

First recorded in 1525–35; kill ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Heart conditions like atherosclerosis, heart attacks and heart failure are the leading killers of people with diabetes, driving a growing global health crisis.

From Science Daily

She was given both ibuprofen and piroxicam, a strong pain killer.

From BBC

When the Riverside County district attorney’s office put the DNA from Gonzalez’s cold case into a database, they found a woman who was a potential relative of the unidentified killer.

From Los Angeles Times

The IDF says it’s investigating the incident, but Hanan’s grieving relatives have little hope or expectation that her killer will be brought to justice.

From BBC

The bodies still had to be identified beyond doubt and their killer, who was known to have experience of surgery, had taken great care to make that as difficult as possible.

From BBC

More About Killer

What is a basic definition of killer?

A killer is a person or thing that kills, meaning they end lives. Killer is also used in slang to mean something that is devastating or exhausting. Additionally, killer is used in slang to describe something as severe or powerful. Killer has several other meanings as a noun and an adjective.

A person or thing that ends someone’s life is a killer. In terms of a person, killer is often used interchangeably with murderer. However, killer can refer to someone who killed another person by accident, while murderer is not used in that sense.

• Real-life examples: John Wilkes Booth was Abraham Lincoln’s killer. Jack the Ripper was an infamous killer. Bacteria and viruses often act as natural killers. People use weed killers on their lawns.
• Used in a sentence: My cat is a very effective killer of birds.

In slang, killer is used to describe something as causing stress, exhaustion, pain, or misery.

• Real-life examples: You might call a particularly hard test a killer test. A killer workout would push your body to the limits of its abilities.
• Used in a sentence: That history assignment turned out to be a killer and took me forever to finish.

In slang, killer is also used to describe something as severe, intense, or powerful.

• Real-world examples: You might call a baseball game that goes into extra innings with a 2–2 score, a killer game. If you come down with a severe cold that keeps you in bed for several days, you could call it a killer cold.
• Used in a sentence: After living abroad for five years, Michelle came down with a killer case of homesickness.

Where does killer come from?

The first records of the noun killer come from around 1525. It is formed from the verb kill, meaning “to end a life,” and the suffix –er, which indicates a person that does the action the verb describes.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to killer?

• self-killer (noun)

What are some synonyms for killer?

• murderer
• assassin
• slayer
• devastating
• exhausting
• severe
• powerful

What are some words that share a root or word element with killer? 

• kill
• killer bee
• killer app
• killer whale
• serial killer

What are some words that often get used in discussing killer?

• murder
• manslaughter
• homicide
• hired
• unknown
• silent

How is killer used in real life?

Killer is a common word that refers to people or things that end lives. It is also used in several slang senses.

The family of Helen McCourt have told Sky News they are pursuing a judicial review in relation to the decision to release her killer Ian Simms from prison

— Sky News Breaking (@SkyNewsBreak) January 9, 2020

Working on names for this weekend's killer snowstorm: Snowmagilla. Snowgantua. Snowmongous. Snow's Your Old Man. The Great A-Flakening…

— John Kelly (@JohnKelly) January 19, 2016

I'm experiencing a Web Developer rite of passage:

I have a killer idea for a CMS 😆

— Hashim Warren 🌄 (@hashim_warren) June 3, 2020

 

 

Try using killer!

Is killer used correctly in the following sentence?

The detectives determined that the killer used a baseball bat as a weapon in every murder.