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View synonyms for

slay

[sley]

verb (used with object)

slew, slayed , slain , slaying .
  1. to kill by violence.

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

    Synonyms: , , , ,
  2. to destroy; extinguish.

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

    Synonyms: ,
  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.

  5. Obsolete.to strike.



verb (used without object)

slew, slayed , slain , slaying .
  1. to kill or murder.

  2. Slang.to have a strong favorable effect; to be remarkably impressive.

    His whole album slays.

noun

  1. sley.

slay

/ ɪ /

verb

  1. archaicto kill, esp violently

  2. slangto impress (someone) sexually

  3. obsoleteto strike

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • slayable adjective
  • slayer noun
  • unslayable adjective
  • ˈ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of slay1

First recorded before 900; Middle English sleen, slayn, Old English ŧ; cognate with Dutch slaan, German schlagen, Old Norse , Gothic slahan “to strike, beat”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of slay1

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

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Authorities have made nine arrests in the slayings, Irving Barrios Mojica, the attorney general of Tamaulipas state, told journalists at an afternoon news conference.

From

She’s only 5 feet 3 but slays taller girls competing in those events.

From

Sheinbaum condemned the slayings as “lamentable,” but cautioned against speculation as to what was behind the attack.

From

By the early 2000s, detectives were diving into cold cases, but the trace evidence from the Rasmussen slaying had mysteriously vanished from the coroner’s office.

From

The brothers, who were separated during their detention after a detective who investigated the slayings said they may conspire to escape if housed together, reunited in jail in 2018.

From

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When To Use

else does slay mean?

Slay can mean "to kill a person or animal," "to make someone laugh," "to have sex with someone," or "to do something spectacularly well," especially when it comes to fashion, artistic performance, or self-confidence.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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