Murder Definition

mûrdər
murdered, murdering, murders
noun
murders
The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the crime of killing a person with malice aforethought or with recklessness manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.
American Heritage
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.
Webster's New World
An instance of such killing.
American Heritage
Something very hard, unsafe, or disagreeable to do or deal with.
Webster's New World
A flock of crows.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
verb
murdered, murdering, murders
To kill (a person) unlawfully and with malice.
Webster's New World
To kill inhumanly or barbarously, as in warfare.
Webster's New World
To spoil, mar, etc., as in performance.
The song was murdered by the singer.
Webster's New World
To put an end to; destroy.
Murdered their chances.
American Heritage
To commit murder.
Webster's New World
Antonyms:
idiom
get away with murder
  • To escape punishment for or detection of an egregiously blameworthy act.
American Heritage
murder will out
  • Secrets or misdeeds will eventually be disclosed.
American Heritage
get away with murder
  • to escape detection of or punishment for a blameworthy act
Webster's New World
murder will out
  • a murder or murderer will always be revealed
  • any secret or wrongdoing will be revealed sooner or later
Webster's New World
scream bloody murder
  • to yell or otherwise raise a loud disturbance, as from outrage or fear
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Murder

Noun

Singular:
murder
Plural:
murders

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Murder

Origin of Murder

  • From Middle English murder, murdre, mourdre "murder", alteration of earlier murthre (“murder") (see murther) from Old English morþor (“secret slaying, unlawful killing") and Old English myrþra (“murder, homicide"), both from Proto-Germanic *murþrÄ… (“death, killing, murder"), from Proto-Indo-European *mrtro- (“killing"), from Proto-Indo-European *mer-, *mor-, *mr- (“to die"). Akin to Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌸𐍂 (maurþr, “murder"), Old High German mord (“murder"), Old Norse morð (“murder"), Old English myrþrian (“to murder") and morþ.

    From Wiktionary

  • The -d- in the Middle English form may have been influenced in part by Anglo-Norman murdre, from Medieval Latin murdrum from Old French murdre, from Frankish *murþra "murder", from the same Germanic root, though this may also have wholly been the result of internal development (compare burden, from burthen).

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English murther from Old English morthor mer- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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