killed
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
An inflected form of kill · past form.
How often you will meet it
Rank 934 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 19,721 times across 139,755 chapters — 0.009% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 1,000 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
verb
- cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bankThe farmer killed a pig for the holidays
- thwart the passage of also: shoot down, defeat, vote down, vote out kill a motionhe shot down the student's proposal
- end or extinguish by forceful means also: stamp out Stamp out poverty!
- be fatal cigarettes killdrunken driving kills
- be the source of great pain for These new shoes are killing me!
- overwhelm with hilarity, pleasure, or admiration The comedian was so funny, he was killing me!
killed in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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The skins of those I killed, I preserved.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures · Daniel Defoe · Chapter 1
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They killed everything that did not pay for its eating.
Famous Stories Every Child Should Know · Hamilton Wright [Editor] Mabie · Chapter 1
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The coroner will tell us how the old man was killed.
The Abandoned Room · Wadsworth Camp · Chapter 1
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At each detonation that shook the window-panes, Mme. Favoral thought that it was, perhaps, the one that had killed her son.
Other People's Money · Emile Gaboriau · Chapter 1
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In Louisiana, near New Orleans, in July, 1893, Roselius Julian, a colored man, shot and killed a white judge, named Victor Estopinal.
The Red Record Tabulated Statistics · Ida B. Wells-Barnett · Chapter 1