1
transitive
: to kill violently, wantonly, or in great numbers
slay the enemy
This was the appearance of a dreadful epidemic which in that age, and long before and afterward, was wont to slay its hundreds and thousands on both sides of the Atlantic.—Nathaniel Hawthorne
broadly
: to strike down : kill
slay a dragon
"It's a lot easier to slay a vampire with a stake in the heart than it is to slay some of our demons that are in our heads." —Rachel T. Hill
2
transitive
informal
: to delight or amuse immensely
slayed the audience
… [Seth Rogen] is currently slaying critics with Superbad, which he co-wrote with Evan Goldberg.—Tanner Stransky
3
transitive + intransitive
informal
: to do something or perform exceptionally well or impressively : to be exceptionally impressive
From the Let Girls Learn initiative to her Vogue covers, [Yara Shahidi] slays it all.—Rebecca Sun
Beyoncé did not come to this year's Grammy Awards just to slay, she came to make a statement.—Jackie Fields
From the red carpet to her sure-to-be epic performance, one thing is for certain—she's gonna slay.—Quinn Keaney
slayer
noun
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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