{
    "term": "kill",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "a2",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "kill",
            "heSheIt": "kills"
        },
        "pastSimple": "killed",
        "pastParticiple": "killed",
        "ingForm": "killing"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to make somebody/something die",
            "sensetop": "kill (somebody/something)kill yourselfkill yourself doing something",
            "labels": "(informal)(figurative)(figurative)",
            "cefr": "a2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Cancer kills thousands of people every year.",
                    "contextForm": "kill (somebody/something)"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Tiredness while driving can kill."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Dozens of civilians were **killed or injured** in the attack."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She was **nearly killed** by a car bomb."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Both members of the crew were **killed instantly** when the missile hit their aircraft."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Three soldiers were **killed in action** *(= while fighting)* yesterday."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She tried to kill me!"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The terrorists **threatened to kill** the hostages."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I bought a spray to kill the weeds."
                },
                {
                    "text": "My mother will kill me *(= be very angry with me)* when she finds out."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He tried to kill himself with sleeping pills.",
                    "contextForm": "kill yourself"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Don't kill yourself trying to get the work done by tomorrow. It can wait.",
                    "contextForm": "kill yourself doing something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Three people were killed in the crash."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He admitted killing her but said it was unintentional."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The animals are killed quickly and humanely."
                },
                {
                    "text": "As a young boy he accidentally killed his brother."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The inquest concluded that he was unlawfully killed."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The poison was slowly killing her."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The terrorists had shown their willingness to kill indiscriminately."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They plotted to kill the dictator."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I nearly killed myself carrying that suitcase all the way here."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Crime and punishment"],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["outright", "almost", "nearly"],
                "verb + kill": ["want to", "be prepared to", "threaten to"],
                "phrases": [
                    "admit killing somebody",
                    "admit to killing somebody",
                    "deny killing somebody"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to destroy something or make it less good; to make something stop",
            "sensetop": "kill something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "to kill a rumour"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She claims that social media kills relationships."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The defeat last night killed the team's chances of qualifying."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to switch off a light or engine; to stop a computer program or process",
            "sensetop": "kill something",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She killed the engine and climbed out."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The only way to kill the process is to reboot the computer."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "to cause somebody pain",
            "sensetop": "kill somebodyit kills somebody to do something",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "My feet are killing me."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 5,
            "definition": "to make somebody laugh a lot",
            "sensetop": "kill somebody",
            "labels": "(especially North American English)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Stop it! You're killing me!"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used to tell somebody not to ask questions or try to find out about things that do not involve them",
            "labels": "(saying)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "wearing the kind of clothes that will make people notice and admire you",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to have nothing to do or not be busy",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used to describe the very angry or unpleasant way somebody is/was looking at you",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "If looks could kill, she thought, seeing the expression that came over his face when he saw her, she’d be dead on the pavement."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I don’t know what I’ve done to upset him, but if looks could kill…"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to destroy something that would make you rich, successful, etc.",
            "labels": "(saying)",
            "examples": [],
            "topics": ["Difficulty and failure"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to do something really well",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She always kills it on stage."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The team has been killing it on the pitch this season!"
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Success"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "used to say that what you are going to do will either be very successful or fail completely",
            "labels": "(British English)",
            "examples": [],
            "topics": ["Success", "Difficulty and failure"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to spend time doing something that is not important while you are waiting for something else to happen",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "We killed time playing cards."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to achieve two things at the same time with one action",
            "examples": [],
            "topics": ["Success"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to be so kind to somebody/something that you in fact harm them",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to laugh a lot",
            "labels": "(British English)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He was killing himself laughing."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kɪl/",
                "audio": "ki/kill/kill__gb_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kɪlz/",
                "audio": "ki/kill/kills__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kɪld/",
                "audio": "ki/kill/killed__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈkɪlɪŋ/",
                "audio": "ki/kill/killing__gb_2.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kɪl/",
                "audio": "ki/kill/kill__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kɪlz/",
                "audio": "ki/kill/kills__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kɪld/",
                "audio": "ki/kill/killed__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈkɪlɪŋ/",
                "audio": "ki/kill/killing__us_2.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English (in the sense ‘strike, beat’, also ‘put to death’): probably of Germanic origin and related to quell. The noun originally denoted a stroke or blow."
}