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murder definition

mur·der (mʉr′dər)

noun

  1. the unlawful and malicious or premeditated killing of one human being by another; also, any killing done while committing some other felony, as rape or robbery
  2. ☆ Informal something very hard, unsafe, or disagreeable to do or deal with

Etymology: ME murthir, mordre < OE & OFr: OE morthor, akin to ON morth, Goth maurthr; OFr mordre < Frank *morthr: all ult. < IE *mṛtóm < base *mer- > mortal

transitive verb

  1. to kill (a person) unlawfully and with malice
  2. to kill inhumanly or barbarously, as in warfare
  3. to spoil, mar, etc., as in performance the song was murdered by the singer

intransitive verb

to commit murder
murder Idioms

get away with murder

☆
Slang to escape detection of or punishment for a blameworthy act

murder will out

  1. a murder or murderer will always be revealed
  2. any secret or wrongdoing will be revealed sooner or later

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms murder idiom

law murder definition - legal

murder Synonyms

murder

n.

killing, homicide, unlawful homicide, death, destruction, annihilation, carnage, putting an end to, slaying, shooting, knifing, assassination, terrorism, dispatching, lynching, crime, felony, killing with malice aforethought, murder in the first degree, first degree murder, contract killing, murder in the second degree, murder in the third degree, manslaughter, massacre, genocide, butchery, mayhem, patricide, matricide, infanticide, fratricide, genocide, the Holocaust, suicide, foul play, ride*, dust-off*, bump-off*, the works*, the business*, one-way ticket*, dowser*; see also crime 2.

get away with murder*

escape punishment, take flight, avoid prosecution, avoid punishment; see evade 1.


murder

v.

  1. To kill unlawfully

    slay, assassinate, butcher; see kill 1.

  2. *To ruin, especially by incompetence

    spoil, mar, misuse; see botch, destroy 1, fail 1. See syn. study at kill.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

murder Usage Examples

Object

  • prostitute: The Ripper murdered five prostitutes within 10 weeks in the autumn of 1888.

Converse of object

  • commit: How unlikely is it the King's advocate should have malice against persons who commit murder, or should even know them at all.

Subject

  • IRA: John Baxter was an ex-cadet of the squadron who was murdered by the IRA.

Adjective modifier

  • attempted: On Friday a grand jury officially indicted Miller on two charges of attempted second degree murder relating to the 2001 incident.

Modifies a noun

  • mystery: Click here for the latest murder mystery breaks from Ramada Jarvis.

Preposition: of

  • policeman: For example three were charged with the armed robbery of a jeweler, four with the murder of two policemen.

Preposition: with

  • impunity: The ' Legitimate Defense of Honor ' , or murder with impunity?

Preposition: by

  • IRA: John Baxter was an ex-cadet of the squadron who was murdered by the IRA.
murder usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

murder quotes

Fhairshon swore a feud Against the clan M'Tavish; Marched into their land To murder and to ravish; For he did resolve To extirpate the vipers, With four-and-twenty men And five-and-thirty pipers.

-Aytoun,William Edmonstoune

Sleep demands of us a guilty immunity. There is not one of us who, given an eternal incognito, a thumbprint nowhere set against our souls, would not commit rape, murder and all abominations.

-Barnes, Djuna

Sooner murder an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires. 134

-Blake,William

murder quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"murder." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/murder>

APA Style

murder. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/murder

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