slay

[ sley ]

verb (used with object)

slew or slayed slayingslain

1. to kill by violence:

   In this game, your goal is to slay the evil dragon and take his hoard.

   Synonyms: assassinate, butcher, massacre, slaughter, murder

2. to destroy; extinguish:

   Together we are slaying our self-doubt and working towards our dreams.

   Synonyms: ruin, annihilate

3. Slang.
   1. to impress strongly and favorably; overwhelm, especially by humor:

      Your jokes slay me.

   2. to make a strong favorable impression with:

      She really slayed her performance last night.

4. sley ( def 4 ).
5. Obsolete. to strike.

verb (used without object)

slew or slayed slainslaying

1. to kill or murder.
2. Slang. to have a strong favorable effect; to be remarkably impressive:

   His whole album slays.

noun

1. sley ( def ).

slay

/ sleɪ /

verb

1. archaic.
   to kill, esp violently
2. slang.
   to impress (someone) sexually
3. obsolete.
   to strike

Derived Forms

• ˈslayer, noun

Other Words From

• slay·a·ble adjective
• slay·er noun
• un·slay·a·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of slay¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English sleen, slayn, Old English slēan; cognate with Dutch slaan, German schlagen, Old Norse slā, Gothic slahan “to strike, beat”

Word History and Origins

Origin of slay¹

Old English slēan; related to Old Norse slā, Gothic, Old High German slahan to strike, Old Irish slacaim I beat

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. slay the day, to have a good or successful day:

   I woke up refreshed and ready to slay the day.

Example Sentences

The exhibition, called Slay Hay, features work from 30 artists who were selected from an open submission.

From BBC

Each of her ten arms holds a spear to slay evil.

From BBC

Morrison, who punctuates lines with the exclamation “slay!,” sounds at times like Grindr sprung to life.

From Los Angeles Times

The characters rap their lines when they’re in full flow, their muse inspiring them with just the right rhyme at just the right moment to slay the competition.

From Los Angeles Times

Christine finishes the viral video by saying: "Whether you need to recover from a brat summer or menty b - this is the place for you. Slay!"

From BBC

Related Words

• assassinate
• butcher
• destroy
• dispatch
• execute
• exterminate
• massacre
• murder
• slaughter