kills 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of kill
1
as in destroys
to deprive of life during the war more soldiers were killed by disease than anything else

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dismisses
to reject by or as if by a vote the Senate killed the bill by a single vote

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in deletes
to show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it I think that paragraph is irrelevant, so kill it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in wears
to use up all the physical energy of the long hike up the mountain just about killed us

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in fascinates
to attract or delight as if by magic with his dark good looks he would positively kill the ladies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in deactivates
to cause to stop functioning kill the engine before it overheats

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

kills

2 of 2

noun

plural of kill
1
as in victims

Related Words

Dissimilar Words
2
as in washes

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of kills
Verb
In the end, Matt kills everybody who wronged him (plus several innocent people), and is forced to live as a reclusive mud monster in the sewers. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 25 Oct. 2026 Crime, courts and policing A man kills his teenage ex-girlfriend in Arcadia and then shoots himself. — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026 Chigurh kills Wells in his hotel room and then answers a call from Moss intended for Wells. — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026 Danny Trejo has played a Mexican revolutionary, a Mexican cop, a Mexican cartel assassin and, of course, a Mexican ex-con who kills bad guys with a machete. — Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026 How to make a watch party interactive Dead air during commercials kills the mood fast. — Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026 Measles usually kills two or three people in every 1,000 cases, the WHO says, but the disease can be more deadly in poorer nations because of factors such as malnutrition. — Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026 Back in the real world, Vision is working at the bar when a sniper’s bullet abruptly kills Fiona. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026 Other competitors will likely put up barriers, which kills the fun of having AI at your beck and call. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 5 Oct. 2026
Noun
Texas picked it up in the second half and finished with 37 deflections and four kills — a kill represents three consecutive defensive stops — to stymie a Bulldogs team that had won four of its last five games on the road. — Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle, 24 Jan. 2026 Cos-Okpalla clinched three of the last five points for Texas A&M with two kills and an assisted block, including a final kill over the middle for match point. — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 19 Dec. 2025 Pugh then scored on back-to-back kills later in the set, scored on a block and scored on a kill for the final point of the set. — Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025 Harris had two kills during a 5-1 run that closed out the first game and a kill, block and ace during a comeback in the second game. — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kills
  1. destroys
  2. dismisses
  3. deletes
  4. wears
  5. fascinates
  6. deactivates
  7. victims
  8. washes
Verb
  • These include immune amnesia, a type of immunosuppression in which the measles virus destroys immune cells and adaptive responses.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Cash flow is a timing problem, not a sales problem, and that difference destroys companies that look profitable on paper.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroys
Verb
  • The incumbent's campaign dismisses the Democratic push as the last-ditch effort of a campaign that will fall short.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Ben-Gvir dismisses concerns that such policies would cement Israel’s status as a pariah state.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of dismisses
Verb
  • Blaming Ultron for Fiona’s death, Vision deletes his art and possessions.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Rear visibility is comes exclusively via a camera projecting onto a digital mirror – because the car completely deletes the rear window.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of deletes
Verb
  • Among the terminated is a welder, Choi Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu), who wears a frown so implacable that it might have been etched in steel.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Doncic loves his two daughters — Gabriela, 2, and Olivia, 10 months — and wears their initials on his shoes during games.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of wears
Verb
  • Amid all the con artists and fraudsters this century has produced, Holmes is the one who fascinates us the most.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The reaction to this movie fascinates me, starting in Cannes.
    — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of fascinates
Verb
  • The man looks down almost immediately after the light turns on when the light deactivates.
    — Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 10 Feb. 2026
  • This higher temperature darkens the paste, slightly caramelizes the sugar, and deactivates enzymes that would otherwise break down pectin, resulting in a thicker, more cooked-tasting product.
    — Anne Wolf, Martha Stewart, 7 Jan. 2026
Definition of deactivates
Noun
  • On Sunday, Jordan’s Queen Rania and Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah attended a funeral held for the victims while Jordan’s King Abdullah II visited the injured in the hospital earlier.
    — Aoife Walsh, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Relatives of the victims said the arrests brought them some relief.
    — Omar Akour, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of victims
Noun
  • Canadian tuxes often rely on matching washes, say a dark-wash top with matching dark-wash bottoms.
    — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • From creamy body washes to hard-working antiperspirants, the best Dove products keep skin hydrated and fresh from head to toe, which is why so many of its offerings have taken home tons of Best of Beauty Awards over the years.
    — Madison San Miguel, Allure, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of washes

Browse Nearby Words

kill off
kills
kills off
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Kills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kills. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All