killer
/'kilə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A person or thing that kills: A "killer" is someone who causes the death of a person or animal, or a thing that is the cause of death.
- A very difficult or formidable thing: Informally, a "killer" can refer to something that is extremely difficult to deal with or overcome.
- A predatory black-and-white toothed whale: In zoology, "killer" is short for "killer whale," a large marine mammal.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Person/Agent):
- The police are searching for the killer. (The police are searching for the person who caused the death.)
- Heart disease remains the leading killer in many developed nations. (Heart disease is the primary cause of death.)
- Noun (Difficult Thing):
- That final hill on the bike route is a real killer. (That final hill is extremely challenging.)
- The project deadline is a killer; I have to work all weekend. (The deadline is very demanding.)
- Noun (Animal):
- We saw a pod of killers, or orcas, off the coast. (We saw a group of killer whales.)
Advanced Usage
- "Killer instinct": A ruthless determination to succeed or win.
- To be a champion in boxing, you need a killer instinct.
- "Killer app": In computing, an application that is so useful or desirable that it drives the adoption of the technology it runs on.
- The spreadsheet was the killer app for early personal computers.
- "Killer whale": The full term for the marine mammal .
- Killer whales are actually the largest species of dolphin.
Variants and Related Words
- Kill (verb): To cause the death of.
- The frost will kill the plants.
- Killing (noun/adjective):
- Noun: An act of causing death.
- The killing was ruled a homicide.
- Adjective: Extremely funny or exhausting.
- He told a killing joke. / I just finished a killing workout.
Synonyms
- Murderer: A person who commits murder (specifically for a person who kills unlawfully).
- Assassin: A murderer, often one who kills a prominent figure.
- Slayer: A person who kills someone (can be formal or literary).
- Cause of death: The specific injury or disease that leads to death.
Related Phrases
- Lady-killer: (Informal, dated) A man who is very attractive to women.
- In his youth, he was quite the lady-killer.
- Killer blow/strike: A decisive action that ends a contest or effort.
- The boxer landed a killer blow in the third round.
Idioms
- To be a killer: To be extremely good, impressive, or effective (often used positively in informal contexts).
- Her performance last night was a killer! (Her performance was excellent.)
- Dressed to kill: Wearing very attractive or stylish clothes intended to impress.
- She arrived at the party dressed to kill.
Noun
- predatory black-and-white toothed whale with large dorsal fin; common in cold seas
- a difficulty that is hard to deal with
- that exam was a real killer
- the causal agent resulting in death
- heart disease is the biggest killer in the United States
- someone who causes the death of a person or animal