Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: CRIME

murder

2 verb
     
murder2 [transitive]
1SCC to kill someone deliberately and illegally:
He was convicted of murdering a policeman.
Thousands of civilians were brutally murdered during the civil war.
the murdered man
 ➔ see usage note kill1
2 informal to spoil a song, play etc by performing it very badly:
It's a good song, but they murdered it.
3

somebody will murder you

spoken used to tell someone that another person will be very angry with them:
Your dad'll murder you when he hears about it.
4

I could murder a beer/pizza etc

British English spoken used to say that you are very hungry or thirsty and want a particular food or drink
5 informal to defeat someone completely:
They murdered us in the final.
WORD CHOICE: WORD CHOICE:

kill, murder, execute, put to death, kill yourself, commit suicide, slaughter, massacre, assassinateThere are many different words meaning to kill someone. Kill is the most general • He says he did not mean to kill his wife. • Thousands of soldiers were killed in the war.Use murder to talk about deliberately killing someone, especially after planning to do it • He is charged with murdering a policeman.When you are talking about killing someone as a punishment for a crime, use execute or put someone to death • He was executed by a firing squad. • the first person to be put to death in San Quentin jailIf someone deliberately causes their own death, say that they commit suicide or that someone kills himself or herself • the feeling of hopelessness that led him to commit suicide, • It was not the first time she had tried to kill herself. Slaughter and massacre mean to violently kill a large number of people who cannot defend themselves. These words are used mainly in writing or journalism • Hundreds of innocent civilians were slaughtered. • Soldiers massacred 900 men, women, and children in the village.Use assassinate to talk about killing an important person, especially a politician • J.F.Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. ➔ See also kill
Definition of murder from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic CRIME

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