hara-kiri

noun

variants also hari-kari
Definition of hara-kirinext
as in suicide

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of hara-kiri When the soldiers, instead of rising up, jeered at him, Mishima killed himself in the classic samurai fashion: performing hara-kiri, or seppuku (as the Japanese more commonly call it), by plunging a sword into his abdomen before a uniformed disciple sliced his head off. — Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025 The film depicts the historical ‘Honno-ji Incident’ from 1582, when a key vassal of Oda Nobunaga rose in revolt and caused his master to commit hara-kiri in Kyoto. — Mark Schilling, Variety, 17 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hara-kiri
  1. murder
  2. homicide
  3. slaying
  4. self-murder
  5. foul play
Noun
  • Monroe County Sheriff’s Office detectives are investigating the murder of a woman whose body was found stuffed into a closet Monday at a Florida Keys resort.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Jail records show Delisle was charged with two felonies, attempted first-degree murder and first-degree arson, as well as a misdemeanor for destruction, alteration, or concealment of evidence.
    — Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 8 Apr. 2025
Definition of murder
Noun
  • The sisters of a Northern California mother of four are seeking answers after her disappearance was recently ruled a homicide.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2025
  • The homicide investigation is the 24th of the year investigated by Oakland police.
    — Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of homicide
Noun
  • The killing marks the fifth slaying this year in the Bronx’s 44th Precinct, which saw 16 homicides in all of 2024, NYPD stats show.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Iran’s embassy in Abu Dhabi has denied Tehran was involved in the rabbi’s slaying, and the UAE has not made the allegation.
    — Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2025
Definition of slaying
Noun
  • But on Wednesday, a grand jury indicted her on the charge of assisting self-murder/manslaughter, a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
    — Frank Fernandez, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2023
  • The initial charge of first-degree murder has been reduced to assisting self-murder/manslaughter.
    — Frank Fernandez, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2023
Definition of self-murder
Noun
  • There were no signs of foul play and officers are investigating the circumstances of her death, a police official told CNN last month. Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified the time period Kim Soo Hyun had stayed quiet.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Although the preliminary investigation reveals no signs of foul play, detectives from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s are awaiting the autopsy results before reaching a final conclusion.
    — Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2025
Definition of foul play

Browse Nearby Words

haps
hara-kiri
hara-kiris
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Cite this Entry

“Hara-kiri.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hara-kiri. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hara-kiri

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