murder

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mur·der

(mûr′dər)

a. The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the crime of killing a person with malice aforethought or with recklessness manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.

b. An instance of such killing.

2. Slang Something that is very uncomfortable, difficult, or hazardous: The rush hour traffic is murder.

3. A flock of crows.

v. mur·dered, mur·der·ing, mur·ders

v.tr.

1. To kill (another human) in an act of murder.

2. To kill brutally or inhumanly: Thousands of civilians were murdered in the bombardment.

3. To put an end to; destroy: murdered their chances.

4. To spoil by ineptness; mutilate: a speech that murdered the English language.

5. Slang To defeat decisively; trounce.

v.intr.

To commit murder.

Idioms:

get away with murder Informal

To escape punishment for or detection of an egregiously blameworthy act.

murder will out

Secrets or misdeeds will eventually be disclosed.

[Middle English murther, from Old English morthor; see mer- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

murder

(ˈmɜːdə)

1. (Law) the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another. Compare manslaughter, homicide

2. informal something dangerous, difficult, or unpleasant: driving around London is murder.

3. cry blue murder informal to make an outcry

4. get away with murder informal to escape censure; do as one pleases

vb (mainly tr)

5. (Law) (also intr) to kill (someone) unlawfully with premeditation or during the commission of a crime

6. (Law) to kill brutally

7. informal to destroy; ruin: he murdered her chances of happiness.

8. informal to defeat completely; beat decisively: the home team murdered their opponents.

Also (archaic or dialect): murther

[Old English morthor; related to Old English morth, Old Norse morth, Latin mors death; compare French meurtre]

ˈmurderer n

ˈmurderess fem n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

mur•der

(ˈmɜr dər)

n., v. -dered, -der•ing. n.

1. the unlawful killing of a person, esp. when done with deliberation or premeditation or occurring during the commission of another serious crime (first-degree murder) or with intent but without deliberation or premeditation (second-degree murder).

2. something injurious, immoral, or otherwise censurable: to get away with murder.

3. something extremely difficult or unpleasant: That exam was murder!

v.t.

4. to kill by an act constituting murder.

5. to kill or slaughter barbarously.

6. to spoil or mar through incompetence: The singer murdered the aria.

7. Informal. to defeat thoroughly.

v.i.

8. to commit murder.

[1300–50; Middle English mo(u)rdre, murder, variant (influenced by Old French murdre < Germanic) of murthre murther]

homicide, murder, manslaughter - The general term for the killing of a person by another is homicide; murder is either the intentional killing or the malicious killing of another, while manslaughter is the unintentional, accidental killing of another through carelessness.

Murder

of crows: a flock—Brewer.

murder

Past participle: murdered
Gerund: murdering

Imperative
murder
murder

Present
I murder
you murder
he/she/it murders
we murder
you murder
they murder

Preterite
I murdered
you murdered
he/she/it murdered
we murdered
you murdered
they murdered

Present Continuous
I am murdering
you are murdering
he/she/it is murdering
we are murdering
you are murdering
they are murdering

Present Perfect
I have murdered
you have murdered
he/she/it has murdered
we have murdered
you have murdered
they have murdered

Past Continuous
I was murdering
you were murdering
he/she/it was murdering
we were murdering
you were murdering
they were murdering

Past Perfect
I had murdered
you had murdered
he/she/it had murdered
we had murdered
you had murdered
they had murdered

Future
I will murder
you will murder
he/she/it will murder
we will murder
you will murder
they will murder

Future Perfect
I will have murdered
you will have murdered
he/she/it will have murdered
we will have murdered
you will have murdered
they will have murdered

Future Continuous
I will be murdering
you will be murdering
he/she/it will be murdering
we will be murdering
you will be murdering
they will be murdering

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been murdering
you have been murdering
he/she/it has been murdering
we have been murdering
you have been murdering
they have been murdering

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been murdering
you will have been murdering
he/she/it will have been murdering
we will have been murdering
you will have been murdering
they will have been murdering

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been murdering
you had been murdering
he/she/it had been murdering
we had been murdering
you had been murdering
they had been murdering

Conditional
I would murder
you would murder
he/she/it would murder
we would murder
you would murder
they would murder

Past Conditional
I would have murdered
you would have murdered
he/she/it would have murdered
we would have murdered
you would have murdered
they would have murdered

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	murder - unlawful premeditated killing of a human being by a human being slaying, execution homicide - the killing of a human being by another human being assassination - murder of a public figure by surprise attack bloodshed, gore - the shedding of blood resulting in murder; "he avenged the bloodshed of his kinsmen" contract killing - a murder carried out on agreement with a hired killer parricide - the murder of your own father or mother mariticide - the murder of a husband by his wife fratricide - the murder of your sibling uxoricide - the murder of a wife by her husband filicide - the murder of your own son or daughter liquidation, elimination - the murder of a competitor carnage, mass murder, massacre, slaughter, butchery - the savage and excessive killing of many people lynching - putting a person to death by mob action without due process of law regicide - the act of killing a king dry-gulching - the act of killing from ambush hit - a murder carried out by an underworld syndicate; "it has all the earmarks of a Mafia hit" infanticide - murdering an infant shoot-down - murder by shooting someone down in cold blood tyrannicide - killing a tyrant thuggee - murder and robbery by thugs
Verb	1.	murder - kill intentionally and with premeditation; "The mafia boss ordered his enemies murdered" bump off, off, slay, polish off, dispatch, remove, hit kill - cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly; "This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank"; "The farmer killed a pig for the holidays" burke - murder without leaving a trace on the body execute - murder in a planned fashion; "The Mafioso who collaborated with the police was executed"
	2.	murder - alter so as to make unrecognizable; "The tourists murdered the French language" mutilate, mangle distort, falsify, garble, warp - make false by mutilation or addition; as of a message or story

murder

noun

1. killing, homicide, massacre, assassination, slaying, bloodshed, carnage, butchery The three accused are charged with attempted murder.

2. (Informal) agony, misery, hell (informal) I've taken three aspirins, but this headache's still absolute murder.

verb

1. kill, massacre, slaughter, assassinate, hit (slang), destroy, waste (informal), do in (informal), eliminate (slang), take out (slang), butcher, dispatch, slay, blow away (slang, chiefly U.S.), bump off (slang), rub out (U.S. slang), take the life of, do to death a thriller about two men who murder a third

2. ruin, destroy, mar, spoil, butcher, mangle She murdered the song.

3. (Informal) beat decisively, thrash, stuff (slang), cream (slang, chiefly U.S.), tank (slang), hammer (informal), slaughter, lick (informal), wipe the floor with (informal), make mincemeat of (informal), blow someone out of the water (slang), drub, defeat someone utterly The front row murdered the Italians in the scrums.

Related words
fear homicidomania

Quotations
"Thou shalt not kill" Bible: Exodus
"Murder will out" [Geoffrey Chaucer The Nun's Priest's Tale]
"murder most foul" [William Shakespeare Hamlet]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

murder

noun

The crime of murdering someone:

blood, homicide, killing.

Slang: hit.

verb

To take the life of (a person or persons) unlawfully:

destroy, finish (off), kill, liquidate, slay.

Informal: put away.

Slang: bump off, do in, knock off, off, rub out, waste, wipe out, zap.

Translations

قَتْلٌقَتْل عَمْديمَوت ، قَتْليَقْتِلُيَقْتُل عَمْداً

assassinat

vraždazavražditzničitvražditzabít

mordmyrde

Mord ermorden mörderisch umbringen

δολοφονώ φόνος

asesinar asesinato homicidio matar

mõrvroim

murhamurhataparvimurhaava

meurtre assassiner rectifier

הביע כעסזעם טרףלהביסלהקת עורבים

ubitiubojstvoumoritiumorstvozgromiti

gyilkosságmeggyilkolmeggyilkolás

morîmyrîa

assassinio omicidio assassinare uccidere omicidio colposo

殺人殺害する

살인살인하다

assassinare

nužudymasžmogžudiškaižmogžudiškasžmogžudysžudymas

nogalināšananoslepkavotslepkavībaslepkavot

moord vermoorden moordende grond in boren

mord myrdeta knekken pådrepe

morderstwo zamordować zabić zabójstwo

assassinar assassinato assassínio homicídio

убийство убивать

vraždavraždiť

umorumoriti

ubistvoubitiубиствоубити

mordmördadöda

การฆาตกรรมฆาตกรรม

cinayet katletmek öldürmekcinayet işlemekkatil

ám sátgiếtgiết ngườitàn sáttội giết người

谋杀凶杀

murder

[ˈmɜːdəʳ]

A. N

1. → asesinato m (Jur) → homicidio m
accused of murder → acusado de homicidio
to commit murder → cometer un asesinato or un crimen
first-degree murder, murder in the first degree → homicidio m premeditado, homicidio m en primer grado
second-degree murder, murder in the second degree → homicidio m en segundo grado
the murder weapon → el arma homicida
murder will out → todo termina por saberse
see also attempted, mass ² D

2. "did you have a good holiday?" - "no, it was murder!" → -¿pasaste unas buenas vacaciones? -¡no, lo pasé fatal or fueron horribles!
the noise/heat in here is murder → el ruido que hay aquí/el calor que hace aquí es insoportable
the roads were murder → las carreteras estaban hasta los topes
to scream or shout blue or bloody murder → poner el grito en el cielo
to get away with murder she lets the children get away with murder → a los niños les consiente todo, a los niños les deja hacer lo que les da la gana

B. VT

1. [+ person] → asesinar, matar, ultimar (LAm)
the murdered man → el hombre asesinado

2. (fig) [+ song, music, play, language] → destrozar, cargarse; [+ opponent] → aniquilar

3. (= really enjoy) I could murder a beer/a cup of tea → daría cualquier cosa por una cerveza/una taza de té

C. VI → cometer asesinatos, matar

D. CPD murder case N → caso m de asesinato or homicidio
murder charge N → acusación f por asesinato or homicidio
he is wanted on murder charges → lo buscan por asesinato
Murder Squad N → brigada f de homicidios
murder trial N → juicio m por asesinato
murder victim N → víctima f de un asesinato or homicidio

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

murder

[ˈmɜː^rdə^r]

(= crime) → meurtre m
to commit murder → commettre un meurtre
to be found guilty of murder → être déclaré(e) coupable de meurtre
to be convicted of a murder → être déclaré(e) coupable de meurtre
to get away with murder (fig) → pouvoir tout se permettre
His charm allows him to get away with murder → Il a tellement de charme qu'on lui passe tout., Il a tellement de charme qu'on lui pardonne tout.

(politically motivated killing) → assassinat m

(= awful thing)
The traffic was murder! → Il y avait une circulation infernale!
It can be murder finding a parking space → Ça peut être la galère de trouver une place de parking.

[+ person] (= kill) → assassiner, tuer
to be murdered (= be victim of crime) → être assassiné
He was murdered → Il a été assassiné.
I could murder him! (fig) → je l'étranglerais !

(= ruin) → massacrer
They didn't perform that play, they murdered it → Ils n'ont pas joué la pièce, ils l'ont massacrée.

murder

(lit) → Mord m; the murder of John F. Kennedy → der Mord an John F. Kennedy, die Ermordung John F. Kennedys; to stand accused of murder → unter Mordverdacht stehen

(fig inf) it was/it’s murder → es war/ist mörderisch; it’ll be murder → es wird schrecklich werden; (= exhausting also) → das ist glatter Mord (inf); to scream blue (Brit) or bloody murder → Zeter und Mordio schreien, ein Mordsspektakel or -theater machen (inf); to get away with murder → sich (dat) → alles erlauben können

(lit) → ermorden, umbringen (inf); (= slaughter) → morden; (fig inf) opponents → haushoch schlagen

(inf: = ruin) music, play etc → verhunzen (inf)

murder

murder trial

n → Mordprozess m

murder victim

n → Mordopfer nt

murder weapon

n → Mordwaffe f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

murder

[ˈmɜːdəʳ]

1. n

a. → omicidio, assassinio
to commit murder → commettere un omicidio

b. (fam) it was murder! → è stato pazzesco!
to scream blue murder → strepitare
she gets away with murder → se la cava sempre

2. vt (person) → assassinare (fig) (song) → massacrare

murder

(ˈməːdə) noun

1. (an act of) killing a person on purpose and illegally. The police are treating his death as a case of murder; an increase in the number of murders.

2. any killing or causing of death that is considered as bad as this. the murder of innocent people by terrorists.

verb

to kill (a person) on purpose and illegally. He murdered two children.

ˈmurderer – feminine ˈmurderess – noun

Murderers are no longer hanged in Britain.

ˈmurderous adjective

intending, or capable of, murder. There was a murderous look in his eye.

ˈmurderously adverb

murder

→ قَتْلٌ, يَقْتِلُ vražda, zavraždit mord, myrde ermorden, Mord δολοφονώ, φόνος asesinar, asesinato murha, murhata assassiner, meurtre ubiti, ubojstvo omicidio, uccidere 殺人, 殺害する 살인, 살인하다 moord, vermoorden mord, myrde morderstwo, zamordować assassinar, assassinato убивать, убийство mord, mörda การฆาตกรรม, ฆาตกรรม cinayet, katletmek giết người, tội giết người 谋杀

References in classic literature ?

Kimballton was nearly sixty miles distant in a straight line; the murder had been perpetrated only at eight o'clock the preceding night; yet Dominicus had heard of it at seven in the morning, when, in all probability, poor Mr.

View in context

The medical man who examined him, being informed of this circumstance, considered the post-mortem appearances as being perfectly compatible with murder by smothering--that is to say, with murder committed by some person, or persons, pressing the pillow over the nose and mouth of the deceased, until death resulted from congestion of the lungs.

View in context

There is also another court called at Athens the Court of Phreattae, which determines points relating to a murder committed by one who has run away, to decide whether he shall return; though such an affair happens but seldom, and in very large cities; the seventh, to determine causes wherein strangers are concerned, and this whether they are between stranger and stranger or between a stranger and a citizen.

View in context

The town was bitter against he misfortunates, and for the first few days after the murder they were in constant danger of being lynched.

View in context

About five in the morning I discovered my lovely boy, whom the night before I had seen blooming and active in health, stretched on the grass livid and motionless; the print of the murder's finger was on his neck.

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Tom and all of us kept telling him it WASN'T murder, but just accidental killing!

View in context

I only told you the beginning then about the murder of the old pawnbroker-woman.

View in context

A MAN committed a murder, and was pursued by the relations of the man whom he murdered.

View in context

This brought him into relation with queer characters, some of whom were not altogether scrupulous in their methods of making a living, murder being an acceptable means to that end.

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Whilst I am detailing bloody deeds which took place during my stay on Colonel Lloyd's plantation, I will briefly narrate another, which occurred about the same time as the murder of Demby by Mr.

View in context

Rook had been previously known to Cecilia's father as respectable people keeping an inn in his own neighborhood; and, finally, how they had been obliged to begin life again in domestic service, because the terrible event of a murder had given the inn a bad name, and had driven away the customers on whose encouragement their business depended.

View in context

Murder of COLIN CAMPBELL of Glenure, Efq; Factor for His Majefty on the forfeited Estate of Ardfhiel.