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Showing results for homicide. Search instead for Self-homicide.
Synonyms

homicide

American  
[hom-uh-sahyd, hoh-muh-] / ˈhɒm əˌsaɪd, ˈhoʊ mə- /

noun

  1. the killing of one human being by another.

  2. a person who kills another; murderer.

homicide British  
/ ˈhɒmɪˌsaɪd /

noun

  1. the killing of a human being by another person

  2. a person who kills another

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
homicide Cultural  

  1. The killing of one person by another, whether intended (murder) or not (manslaughter). Not all homicide is unlawful; killing in self-defense, for example, is not a crime.

Other Word Forms

  • self-homicide noun

Etymology

Origin of homicide

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin homicīdium “a killing,” homicīda “killer,” equivalent to homi- (combining form of homō “man”) + -cīdium, -cīda, noun suffix; -cide

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Extreme ideas are shaping a campaign which features a record 35 candidates, as Peru confronts soaring extortion and a homicide rate that has more than doubled since 2018.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

In the last year and a half, she has reported significant progress curtailing the violence in Mexico, reporting a decrease in homicide rates by 42% from September 2024 to January 2026.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

"In five years, the homicide rate dropped from 128 to 0.8 per 100,000 inhabitants."

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

De Jong said investigators are requesting the public’s help regarding the Doukoullos case, and asking anyone with information to contact the department’s homicide bureau at 323-890-5500, or Crime Stoppers at 213-628-2013.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

And because the death penalty is rarely given for crimes other than homicide, its deterrent effect cannot account for a speck of decline in other violent crimes.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.