1
: the act of one that kills
2
3
: a sudden notable gain or profit
made a killing in the stock market
1
: that kills or relates to killing
2
: highly amusing
3
: extremely difficult to deal with
the suspense is killing
also
: calling for great strength, stamina, or endurance
a killing schedule
Examples of killing in a Sentence
Noun
The oil spill is responsible for the killing of thousands of birds.
Adjective
he's usually quiet, but occasionally unleashes some killing remark that cracks everyone up
a killing schedule that requires the touring company to play in a different city every night
Recent Examples on the Web
Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2025
The Senators’ defence and penalty killing played a role in those goals, but Ullmark failed to come up big in contrast to Toronto’s Anthony Stolarz.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
Chicago Tribune, 14 Feb. 2025
The anti-trapping, anti-killing anything movement has also taken a toll.
—John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for killing
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The homicide figures do not include killings that occurred in self-defense or in other circumstances not measured in Chicago police statistics.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2025
The Senators’ defence and penalty killing played a role in those goals, but Ullmark failed to come up big in contrast to Toronto’s Anthony Stolarz.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
So tragically, there will be more killing and more destruction in Gaza.
—Chicago Tribune, 14 Feb. 2025
The anti-trapping, anti-killing anything movement has also taken a toll.
—John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Jan. 2022
See All Example Sentences for killing
Cite this Entry
“Killing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/killing. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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