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
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
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
Tanner Stransky3
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
Rebecca SunBeyoncé did not come to this year's Grammy Awards just to slay, she came to make a statement.—Jackie Fields
Jackie FieldsFrom the red carpet to her sure-to-be epic performance, one thing is for certain—she's gonna slay.—Quinn Keaney
Quinn Keaney
slayer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of slay in a Sentence
The knight slew the dragon.
millions have been slain worldwide by this dreadful disease
Recent Examples on the Web
Putin cannot slay inflation because Russian interest rates are already at a whopping 21%, and the Russian ruble is collapsing.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 23 Jan. 2025
With Mikko camped out to his right midway through the second stanza, Makar beat DeSmith glove-side with a wrister from the blue line for his 100th career goal, slaying the Avs’ power-play dragon and becoming the fastest active defenseman in the NHL to hit the century mark as a pro.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 18 Jan. 2025
Fischer, 31, was found bound and slain at her home on Point San Pedro Road.
—Cameron MacDonald, The Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2025
As his first major announcement since taking office Friday, Sen. Ruben Gallego co-sponsored the bill named after Laken Riley, the Georgia nursing student who was slain by an immigrant from Venezuela who crossed the border illegally.
—Rafael Bernal, The Hill, 8 Jan. 2025
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Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 23 Jan. 2025
With Mikko camped out to his right midway through the second stanza, Makar beat DeSmith glove-side with a wrister from the blue line for his 100th career goal, slaying the Avs’ power-play dragon and becoming the fastest active defenseman in the NHL to hit the century mark as a pro.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 18 Jan. 2025
Fischer, 31, was found bound and slain at her home on Point San Pedro Road.
—Cameron MacDonald, The Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2025
As his first major announcement since taking office Friday, Sen. Ruben Gallego co-sponsored the bill named after Laken Riley, the Georgia nursing student who was slain by an immigrant from Venezuela who crossed the border illegally.
—Rafael Bernal, The Hill, 8 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for slay
Dictionary Entries Near slay
Cite this Entry
“Slay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slay. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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