killer

(redirected from Killers)
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Related to Killers: Serial killers

kill·er

(kĭl′ər)

1. One that kills: a disease that was a killer of thousands; a killer of new ideas.

2. Slang Something that is extremely difficult to deal with or withstand: an exam that was a real killer.

adj.

1. Causing death or destruction: killer floods.

2. Slang

a. Having impressive or effective power or impact; formidable: had a killer smile; made killer profits.

b. Extremely useful or indispensible: a killer web application.

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.

killer

(ˈkɪlə)

a. a person or animal that kills, esp habitually

b. (as modifier): a killer shark.

2. (Units) something, esp a task or activity, that is particularly taxing or exhausting

3. Austral and NZ an animal selected to be slaughtered for food

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

kill•er

(ˈkɪl ər)

n.

1. a person or thing that kills.

2. Slang. something or someone having a formidable impact, devastating effect, etc.

adj.

3. severe; powerful: a killer cold.

4. very difficult or demanding: a killer chess tournament.

5. very effective; superior: a killer recipe for fried chicken.

[1525–35]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	killer - someone who causes the death of a person or animal slayer individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul - a human being; "there was too much for one person to do" executioner, public executioner - an official who inflicts capital punishment in pursuit of a warrant eradicator, exterminator, terminator - someone who exterminates (especially someone whose occupation is the extermination of troublesome rodents and insects) choker, garroter, garrotter, throttler, strangler - someone who kills by strangling liquidator, manslayer, murderer - a criminal who commits homicide (who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being) poisoner - someone who kills with poison regicide - someone who commits regicide; the killer of a king felo-de-se - a person who kills himself intentionally
	2.	killer - the causal agent resulting in death; "heart disease is the biggest killer in the United States" cause of death causal agency, causal agent, cause - any entity that produces an effect or is responsible for events or results
	3.	killer - a difficulty that is hard to deal with; "that exam was a real killer" difficulty - a factor causing trouble in achieving a positive result or tending to produce a negative result; "serious difficulties were encountered in obtaining a pure reagent"
	4.	killer - predatory black-and-white toothed whale with large dorsal fin; common in cold seas grampus, killer whale, orca, Orcinus orca, sea wolf dolphin - any of various small toothed whales with a beaklike snout; larger than porpoises genus Orcinus, Orcinus - killer whales

killer

noun

1. murderer, slaughterer, slayer, hit man (slang), butcher, gunman, assassin, destroyer, liquidator, terminator, executioner, exterminator The police are searching for his killers.

2. cause of death, scourge, fatal illness, plague Heart disease is the biggest killer of men in most developed countries.

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

killer

noun

One who murders another:

butcher, cutthroat, homicide, manslayer, massacrer, murderer, murderess, slaughterer, slayer, triggerman.

Translations

قاتِلقاتِلٌ

vrah

morderdræber-

Mörder

δολοφόνος φονιάς φόνισσα θανατηφόρος δολοφόνισσα

asesino

tappajamurhaaja

tueur meurtrier

ubojica

morðingimorîingi

assassino

殺人者

살인자

moordenaardoder

kto zabíja dobytokzabijak

ubijalec

mördare

ผู้ฆ่า

katil

kẻ giết người

凶手杀人者

killer

[ˈkɪləʳ]

A. N

1. (= murderer) → asesino/a m/f
diphtheria used to be a killer → antiguamente la difteria era una enfermedad mortal

2. (fig) it's a killer (= joke) → es para morirse de risa; (= task) → es agotador; (= question) → es muy difícil, es mortal

B. CPD killer application, killer app N → aplicación f rompedora, aplicación f de excelente rendimiento
killer bee N → abeja f asesina
killer disease N → enfermedad f mortal
killer instinct N (also fig) → instinto m asesino
killer punch N → puñetazo m mortal
killer shark N → tiburón m asesino
killer whale N → orca f

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

killer

[ˈkɪlə^r]

(= murderer) → tueur/euse m/f
The police are searching for the killer → La police recherche le tueur.
He became a ruthless killer → Il devint un tueur sans pitié.
killers in the pay of sb → des tueurs à la solde de qn
He had been murdered by killers in the pay of the Cardinal → Il avait été assassiné par des tueurs à la solde du Cardinal.
a hired killer → un tueur à gages

(= cause of death) → cause f de mortalité
Heart disease is a major killer → Les maladies cardiaques sont une des principales causes de mortalité.
Chickenpox is no longer a killer → La varicelle n'est plus une cause de mortalité.
Meningitis can be a killer
BUT La méningite peut être mortelle.

adj (= great) → à tomber par terre
You can wear a killer dress, but nobody will find you attractive → Vous pouvez porter une robe à tomber par terre, mais personne ne vous trouvera séduisante.
a killer argument → l'argument qui tue
It was almost a killer argument → Ce fut presque l'argument qui tue.killer bee n → abeille f tueusekiller instinct n → instinct m de tueur
to have the killer instinct → avoir un instinct de tueur
He's got the killer instinct → C'est un tueur., Il a un instinct de tueur.
to lack the killer instinct → manquer de combativitékiller whale n → orque f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

killer

n (person) → Mörder(in) m(f), → Killer(in) m(f) (inf); this disease is a killer → diese Krankheit ist tödlich; it’s a killer (inf, race, job etc) → das ist der glatte Mord (inf) ? lady-killer, weedkiller

adj attr (inf: = dangerous) → gefährlich; a killer shot (Ftbl etc) → ein Bomben- or Granatschuss m (inf)

killer

killer bee

n → Killerbiene f

killer instinct

n the killer (lit) → der Tötungsinstinkt; a boxer with the killer → ein Boxer, in dem der Killer wach wird (inf); a successful businessman needs the killer → ein erfolgreicher Geschäftsmann muss über Leichen gehen können

killer satellite

n → Killersatellit m

killer whale

n → Schwertwal m, → Mordwal m

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

killer

[ˈkɪləʳ]

1. n (murderer) → assassino/a; (hired) → killer m/f inv
flu can be a killer → si può morire per un'influenza

2. adj (disease) → mortale

kill

(kil) verb

to cause the death of. He killed the rats with poison; The outbreak of typhoid killed many people; The flat tyre killed our hopes of getting home before midnight.

noun

an act of killing. The hunter was determined to make a kill before returning to the camp.

ˈkiller noun

a person, animal etc that kills. There is a killer somewhere in the village; (also adjective) a killer disease.

kill off

to destroy completely. So many deer have been shot that the species has almost been killed off.

kill time

to find something to do to use up spare time. I'm just killing time until I hear whether I've got a job or not.

killer

→ قاتِلٌ vrah morder Mörder φονιάς asesino tappaja tueur ubojica assassino 殺人者 살인자 moordenaar drapsmann zabójca assassino убийца mördare ผู้ฆ่า katil kẻ giết người 凶手

References in classic literature ?

This portion was composed of the non- killers and the small killers.

He was a killer. His only food was meat, live meat, that ran away swiftly before him, or flew into the air, or climbed trees, or hid in the ground, or faced him and fought with him, or turned the tables and ran after him.

View in context

It will be proper to go over again more particularly what we then said, which may serve as an introduction to what any other person may choose to offer thereon; for it is no easy matter to distinctly point out what power it has, nor on what accounts one should apply it, whether as an amusement and refreshment, as sleep or wine; as these are nothing serious, but pleasing, and the killers of care, as Euripides says; for which reason they class in the same order and use for the same purpose all these, namely, sleep, wine, and music, to which some add dancing; or shall we rather suppose that music tends to be productive of virtue, having a power, as the gymnastic exercises have to form the body in a certain way, to influence the manners so as to accustom its professors to rejoice rightly?

View in context

In the language of the apes it means Killer. Now the Killer rose upon the branch of the great tree where he had been sleeping with his back braced against the stem.

"I am the Killer. I came to live among you as a friend.

View in context

From all of his Pack he may claim Full-gorge when the killer has eaten; and none may refuse him the same.

View in context

Narwhale; IV., the Thrasher; V., the Killer. BOOK II.

View in context

You look as though you had been fighting with the Killer Whale."

You mustn't swim till you're six weeks old, Or your head will be sunk by your heels; And summer gales and Killer Whales Are bad for baby seals.

Now and then he would see a thin fin, like a big shark's fin, drifting along close to shore, and he knew that that was the Killer Whale, the Grampus, who eats young seals when he can get them; and Kotick would head for the beach like an arrow, and the fin would jig off slowly, as if it were looking for nothing at all.

View in context

Not only had he never been known to court the muse, but in truth he could not have written correctly a line of verse to save himself from the Killer of the Wise.

View in context

And the real Don Quixote of La Mancha, the famous, the valiant, the wise, the lover, the righter of wrongs, the guardian of minors and orphans, the protector of widows, the killer of damsels, he who has for his sole mistress the peerless Dulcinea del Toboso, is this gentleman before you, my master; all other Don Quixotes and all other Sancho Panzas are dreams and mockeries."