plural slayings
: the act of killing a person : killing, murder
—used chiefly in journalistic writing
a gangland slaying
Sunday's slayings bring to 14 the number of killings this year in what police call gang-related attacks.—
Peter Stein
Peter SteinHe is accused of ordering the 1989 slayings and robberies of three drug dealers …—Joseph P. Fried
Joseph P. Fried
Examples of slaying in a Sentence
a man wanted for the slaying of seven people during an armed robbery
Recent Examples on the Web
The defendant was Jackie Wilson, whose infamous case was critical to unveiling systemic practices of torture within the Chicago Police Department, and he was being tried for a third time for murder in the slayings of Chicago police Officers William Fahey and Richard O’Brien.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2024
However, prosecutors at the time said the two brothers’ motive was greed and cited their lavish spending spree after the slayings.
—Christine Pelisek, People.com, 25 Oct. 2024
But with a new string of murders connected to the Westside Ripper, Ava and Nathan become obsessed with finding out if their future brother-in-law is behind the slayings.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024
In 2019, police in nearby Lisle, Illinois, reopened the 1976 murder case of 16-year-old Pamela Maurer, and used DNA to link Lindahl to the slaying, Peat said.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 23 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for slaying 
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.
Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2024
However, prosecutors at the time said the two brothers’ motive was greed and cited their lavish spending spree after the slayings.
—Christine Pelisek, People.com, 25 Oct. 2024
But with a new string of murders connected to the Westside Ripper, Ava and Nathan become obsessed with finding out if their future brother-in-law is behind the slayings.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024
In 2019, police in nearby Lisle, Illinois, reopened the 1976 murder case of 16-year-old Pamela Maurer, and used DNA to link Lindahl to the slaying, Peat said.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 23 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for slaying
Dictionary Entries Near slaying
Cite this Entry
“Slaying.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slaying. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share