killing

1 of 2

noun

kill·​ing ˈki-liŋ 

1

: the act of one that kills

2

: kill sense 2a

3

: a sudden notable gain or profit

made a killing in the stock market

killing

2 of 2

adjective

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

killingly

ˈki-liŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

Adjective

• antic
• chucklesome
• comedic
• comic
• comical
• droll
• farcical
• funny
• hilarious
• humoristic
• humorous
• hysterical
• hysteric
• laughable
• ludicrous
• ridiculous
• riotous
• risible
• screaming
• sidesplitting
• uproarious

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

Noun

Dawson fled the resort by kayak to a nearby island after the killing. —Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024

The killing took place at Turtle Island Fiji, a luxury resort that offers private villas to 14 couples at a time. —Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024

Adjective

The anti-trapping, anti-killing anything movement has also taken a toll. —John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 8 Jan. 2022

For the few pests that do show up, first spray with non-killing repellents such as garlic and garlic pepper tea. —Howard Garrett, Dallas News, 26 July 2021

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing killing

• honor killing
• killing field
• mercy killing
• the suspense is killing me

Kids Definition

killing

noun

kill·​ing

ˈkil-iŋ

: a sudden large profit