killing off

verb

present participle of kill off
as in blotting out

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for killing off
  1. blotting out
  2. taking out
  3. putting away
  4. knocking off
  5. slaughtering
  6. bumping off
  7. rubbing out
  8. carrying off
Verb
  • For a few minutes at each end of that window, the moon’s edge will appear to align with that of the sun, blotting out the star’s fierce light and revealing the wispy corona off to one side.
    — Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 6 Apr. 2026
  • From up in the space shuttle, in 1983, astronaut Sally Ride could see the pollution blotting out her Los Angeles hometown.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of blotting out
Verb
  • Then, when taking out the money, the account holder will have to pay taxes on the withdrawal as ordinary income.
    — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The humanoid robots, dressed in black Tau Robotics uniforms and given names such as Chelsea and Elon, perform household chores like vacuuming, cleaning kitchen counters and taking out the trash.
    — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of taking out
Verb
  • Joe also takes the chance to collaborate with Coop on a new and more effective system for putting away the toys, which is a relief to Coop.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2026
  • But no series ostensibly for children has worked harder to guilt-trip adults into taking better care of their pets or belongings than the Toy Story movies, in which the mere act of putting away playthings is tantamount to mass murder.
    — David Sims, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026
Definition of putting away
Verb
  • Other contenders on the stage gave far better answers, but Jackson is the one who is on the cusp of becoming the Democratic nominee in Maine, where the party has its most realistic shot at knocking off an incumbent Republican Senator.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 23 July 2026
  • But if Bellingham leads the Three Lions to immortality, knocking off the reigning champ in the process, Icons certainly won’t be complaining.
    — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of knocking off
Verb
  • But when his ice cream-eating schoolmates begin slaughtering their parents overnight, seemingly fueled by the wafting sound of the truck jingle and old-timey black-and-white animations invading their phones, Jared seems like the lucky one.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Disease had significantly weakened Tenochtitlán’s ability to withstand Cortés’s siege, and the Europeans eventually wore the Aztec warriors down and broke through the city’s defenses, slaughtering the Aztecs and destroying the city.
    — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 June 2026
Definition of slaughtering
Verb
  • In bumping off Ecuador 2-0 Tuesday night in the friendly confines of Estadio Azteca, Mexico has set up Telemundo (and to a lesser extent, Fox) for a post-holiday blockbuster against England.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of bumping off
Verb
  • Also on the trail is a gangster named Clyde (John Magaro), who’s been sent to redo the job of rubbing out the mysteriously undead Ida.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
Definition of rubbing out
Verb
  • Zeus acting for his own pleasure underlies the evolutionary tales of small groups raiding foreign shores, carrying off women.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Before the night was out, Germans began chipping away at the barrier, carrying off chunks of one of the symbols of the diminishing Iron Curtain.
    — Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 9 Nov. 2025
Definition of carrying off
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.

Browse Nearby Words

killing fields
killing off
killings
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Killing off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/killing%20off. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of balmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All