kill 1 S1 W1 / kɪl / 动词
1 make somebody/something die [不及物和及物动词] to make a person or animal die :
Why did she kill her husband?
Murray held a gun to his head and threatened to kill him.
Four people were killed when a train plunged into a flooded river.
be killed instantly/outright (= immediately )
The driver was killed instantly.
Bleach kills household germs.
Smoking kills.
2 kill yourself
a) to cause your own death :
You’re going to kill yourself on that bike.
After her husband died, Mary tried to kill herself.
b) to work very hard to achieve something, in a way that makes you ill or tired :
It’s not worth killing yourself over it.
kill yourself to do something
He about killed himself to make the business go.
3 make something stop/fail [及物动词] to make something stop operating or fail :
Joe pulled in and killed the engine.
The out-of-town shopping centre will kill local trade.
kill your speed (= drive slowly )
4 be angry with somebody [及物动词] informal to be very angry with someone :
Mom will kill me if I’m late.
5 annoyed/sad [及物动词] to make someone feel annoyed, sad, concerned etc
it kills somebody to do something
It kills me to see him working so hard.
What happened next? The suspense is killing me .
6 would/could kill for something ( also would kill to do something ) to want something so much that you will do almost anything to get it or do it :
I could kill for a smoke right now.
In those days, actors would kill to break into film.
7 my head/back etc is killing me spoken used to say that a part of your body is hurting a lot :
I’ve walked miles and my feet are killing me.
8 kill time/an hour etc to spend time doing something which is not important, while you are waiting to do something important or waiting for something else to happen :
With time to kill, he took a cab to the centre.
9 kill a beer/bottle of wine etc spoken to drink or finish drinking a beer etc quickly :
Let’s kill these beers and go.
10 make somebody laugh [及物动词] to make someone laugh a lot
kill yourself laughing
They weren’t bothered – in fact, they were killing themselves laughing.
11 it won’t/wouldn’t kill somebody (to do something) spoken used to say that someone could easily do something, and ought to do it :
It wouldn’t kill you to help out once in a while.
12 (even) if it kills me spoken used to emphasize that you are determined to do something, even though it is very difficult :
I’m completing this course, even if it kills me.
13 kill two birds with one stone to achieve two things with one action
14 kill the goose that lays the golden egg to destroy the thing that brings you profit or success
15 kill the fatted calf to welcome someone home with a big meal etc after they have been away for a long time
16 kill somebody with kindness to be too kind to someone, in a way that actually harms them
17 kill or cure used to say that something you are going to do will be either successful or fail completely
→ dressed to kill at dressed ( 3 )
THESAURUS
kill to make someone die : The driver and his passenger were killed in the crash. | He was killed by rival gang members.
murder to deliberately kill someone – used when talking about this as a crime : He was convicted of murdering his wife.
commit manslaughter to kill someone without intending to – used when talking about this as a crime : The court ruled that the guard had committed manslaughter.
assassinate to deliberately kill an important person, especially a politician : He was part of a plot to assassinate Hitler.
slay to kill someone or something in a violent way – used in newspaper reports and also in old stories : Two teenagers were slain in the shootings. | St. George slew the dragon. | The king was slain at the battle of Hastings.
execute formal ( also put somebody to death ) to kill someone as a punishment for a crime : McVeigh, who killed 168 people in a bombing attack, was executed by lethal injection.
eliminate to kill someone in order to prevent them from causing trouble : a ruthless dictator who eliminated all his rivals
take somebody out informal to kill someone in order to get rid of them, especially an enemy or someone who is causing trouble for you : US forces used air strikes to take out the enemy positions. | One of the other drug dealers may have decided to take him out.
bump somebody off humorous informal to kill someone : He was so irritating I felt like bumping him off myself.
do away with somebody informal to kill someone : The settlers in Jamestown had been done away with, but no one knew how.
to kill yourself
commit suicide to kill yourself : He committed suicide after the death of his girlfriend.
take your own life formal to kill yourself : He had taken his own life while he was severely depressed. | They believe that it is a sin to take your own life.
to kill a large number of people
massacre to kill a large number of people in a violent way : Thousands of peaceful demonstrators were massacred by the soldiers.
slaughter to kill a large number of people in a violent way. Slaughter is also used about killing animals for food : The army slaughtered thousands of civilians in an effort to stop the revolt. | The pigs were slaughtered on the farm.
exterminate to kill large numbers of a particular group, so that they no longer exist : Hitler’s goal was to exterminate the Jews.
kill something ↔ off 短语动词
1 to cause the death of a lot of living things 同义词 destroy :
Pollution is rapidly killing off plant life.
2 to stop or remove something completely 同义词 destroy :
These figures kill off any hope that the economy is poised for recovery.