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murder

 - 9 dictionary results

mur·der

   [mur-der]
–noun
1.
Law. the killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in law. In the U.S., special statutory definitions include murder committed with malice aforethought, characterized by deliberation or premeditation or occurring during the commission of another serious crime, as robbery or arson (first-degree murder), and murder by intent but without deliberation or premeditation (second-degree murder).
2.
Slang. something extremely difficult or perilous: That final exam was murder!
3.
a group or flock of crows.
–verb (used with object)
4.
Law. to kill by an act constituting murder.
5.
to kill or slaughter inhumanly or barbarously.
6.
to spoil or mar by bad performance, representation, pronunciation, etc.: The tenor murdered the aria.
–verb (used without object)
7.
to commit murder.
—Idioms
8.
get away with murder, Informal. to engage in a deplorable activity without incurring harm or punishment: The new baby-sitter lets the kids get away with murder.
9.
murder will out, a secret will eventually be exposed.
10.
yell/screambloody murder,
a.
to scream loudly in pain, fear, etc.
b.
to protest loudly and angrily: If I don't get a good raise I'm going to yell bloody murder.
Use murder in a Sentence
Origin:
1300–50; ME mo(u)rdre, murder, var. (influenced by OF murdre < Gmc) of murthre murther

—Related forms
self-murder, noun
self-murdered, adjective

—Can be confused: homicide, kill, manslaughter, murder (see synonym note at kill1).

—Synonyms
10. See kill1.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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World English Dictionary
murder (ˈmɜːdə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  manslaughter Compare homicide the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another
2.  informal something dangerous, difficult, or unpleasant: driving around London is murder
3.  informal cry blue murder to make an outcry
4.  informal get away with murder to escape censure; do as one pleases
 
—vb
5.  (also intr) to kill (someone) unlawfully with premeditation or during the commission of a crime
6.  to kill brutally
7.  informal to destroy; ruin: he murdered her chances of happiness
8.  informal to defeat completely; beat decisively: the home team murdered their opponents
 
[Old English morthor; related to Old English morth, Old Norse morth, Latin mors death; compare French meurtre]
 
'murderer
 
—n
 
'murderess
 
—fem n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Word Origin & History

murder
O.E. morðor (pl. morþras) "secret killing of a person, unlawful killing," also "mortal sin, crime, punishment, torment, misery," from P.Gmc. *murthran (cf. Goth maurþr, O.Fris. morth, O.N. morð, M.Du. moort, Ger. Mord "murder"). from PIE *mrtro-, from base *mor-/*mr- "to die" (cf. L. mors, gen. mortis "death;" mori "to die;" see mortal). The spelling with -d- probably reflects influence of Anglo-Fr. murdre, from O.Fr. mordre, from M.L. murdrum, from the W.Gmc. root. Viking custom, typical of Gmc., distinguished morð (O.N.) "secret slaughter," from vig (O.N.) "slaying." The former involved concealment, or slaying a man by night or when asleep, and was a heinous crime. The latter was not a disgrace, if the killer acknowledged his deed, but he was subject to vengeance or demand for compensation.
"Mordre wol out that se we day by day." [Chaucer, "Nun's Priest's Tale," c.1386]
Weakened sense of "very unpleasant situation" is from 1878. The verb is O.E. myrðrian, from P.Gmc. *murthjan. Related: Murdered; murdering.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: mur·der
Pronunciation: 'm&r-d&r
Function: noun
Etymology: partly from Old English morthor; partly from Old French murdre, of Germanic origin
: the crime of unlawfully and unjustifiably killing another under circumstances defined by statute (as with premeditation); especially : such a crime committed purposely, knowingly, and recklessly with extreme indifference to human life or during the course of a serious felony (as robbery or rape) —compare COLD BLOOD, COOLING TIME, HOMICIDE, MANSLAUGHTER
NOTE: Self-defense, necessity, and lack of capacity for criminal responsibility (as because of insanity) are defenses to a charge of murder. Most state statutes and the U.S. Code divide murder into two degrees. Florida, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania currently have three degrees of murder. Some states do not assign degrees of murder.
de·praved–heart murder
/di-'prAvd-'härt-/
: a murder that is the result of an act which is dangerous to others and shows that the perpetrator has a depraved mind and no regard for human life
NOTE: Depraved-heart murder is usually considered second- or third-degree murder.
felony murder
: a murder that occurs in the commission of a serious felony (as burglary or sexual battery) —compare misdemeanor-manslaughter at MANSLAUGHTER
NOTE: Felony murder is usually considered first-degree murder. Felony murder does not require specific intent to kill, and an accessory to the felony may also be charged with the murder.
first–degree murder
: a murder that is committed with premeditation or during the course of a serious felony (as kidnapping) or that otherwise (as because of extreme cruelty) requires the most serious punishment under the law
second–degree murder
: a murder that is committed without premeditation but with some intent (as general or transferred intent) or other circumstances not covered by the first-degree murder statute
third–degree murder
: a murder that is not first- or second-degree murder: as a : a murder committed in the perpetration of a felony not listed in the first-degree murder statute b : DEPRAVED-HEART MURDER in this entry

Main Entry: murder
Function: transitive verb
: to kill (a human being) unlawfully and under circumstances constituting murder intransitive verb : to commit murder
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Slang Dictionary

murder definition


and slaughter
  1. tv.
    to overwhelm; to beat someone in a sports contest. : We went out on the field prepared to slaughter them. The murdered us in the second half.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Bible Dictionary

Murder definition


Wilful murder was distinguished from accidental homicide, and was invariably visited with capital punishment (Num. 35:16, 18, 21, 31; Lev. 24:17). This law in its principle is founded on the fact of man's having been made in the likeness of God (Gen. 9:5, 6; John 8:44; 1 John 3:12, 15). The Mosiac law prohibited any compensation for murder or the reprieve of the murderer (Ex. 21:12, 14; Deut. 19:11, 13; 2 Sam. 17:25; 20:10). Two witnesses were required in any capital case (Num. 35:19-30; Deut. 17:6-12). If the murderer could not be discovered, the city nearest the scene of the murder was required to make expiation for the crime committed (Deut. 21:1-9). These offences also were to be punished with death, (1) striking a parent; (2) cursing a parent; (3) kidnapping (Ex. 21:15-17; Deut. 27:16).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Idioms & Phrases

murder

In addition to the idiom beginning with murder, also see get away with (murder); scream bloody murder.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Encyclopedia

murder

in criminal law, the unjustified killing of one person by another, usually distinguished from the crime of manslaughter by the element of malice aforethought. See homicide.

Learn more about murder with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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