Definition

1. Verb:
   • To kill; to murder: To cause the death of a living being, especially a person, intentionally or unlawfully.
   • To slaughter; to butcher: To kill animals, typically for food.
   • To ruin; to destroy (figurative): To cause severe damage or to nullify something, such as a plan or an opportunity.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Hắn bị buộc tội giết người. (He was charged with murder.)
  • Họ giết một con lợn để chuẩn bị cho lễ hội. (They slaughtered a pig to prepare for the festival.)
  • Việc hủy bỏ dự án đã giết chết cơ hội hợp tác. (Canceling the project killed the chance for cooperation.)

Advanced Usage

• "giết thời gian": to kill time.

  • Chúng tôi chơi bài để giết thời gian khi chờ tàu. (We played cards to kill time while waiting for the train.)

• "giết chết": to kill off, to destroy completely (often figurative).

  • Sự hoài nghi đã giết chết sáng kiến của anh ấy. (The skepticism killed off his initiative.)

Variants and Related Words

• Giết mổ (v): to slaughter (animals for meat).

  • Việc giết mổ gia súc phải tuân theo quy định. (The slaughter of livestock must follow regulations.)

• Ám sát (v): to assassinate (a specific, often political, type of killing).

  • Tổng thống đã bị ám sát. (The president was assassinated.)

Synonyms

• Murder: to kill unlawfully and with premeditation.
• Slaughter: to kill animals for food, often on a large scale.
• Destroy: to put an end to something.

Related Idioms

• Giết gà dọa khỉ: Literally "kill a chicken to scare the monkey"; meaning to punish one as a warning to others.

  • Họ phạt nặng một người để giết gà dọa khỉ. (They severely punished one person to make an example of them.)

• Giết người không dao: Literally "to kill a person without a knife"; meaning to harm someone through cunning or indirect means, such as with words or schemes.

  • Những lời đồn ác ý có thể giết người không dao. (Malicious rumors can kill a person without a knife.)

verb

1. to kill; to murder
   • kẻ giết người
     killer
2. To butcher; to slaughter (animals)