slays

verb

present tense third-person singular of slay
1
as in kills
to deprive of life millions have been slain worldwide by this dreadful disease

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in assassinates
to put to death deliberately vowed to slay without mercy whoever was responsible for murdering his family

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of slays In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Beyoncé slays in all-white at the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, while Justin and Hailey Bieber show off their streetwear style in New York City. — Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 20 July 2026 Kerry Washington completely dismissing Seth Meyers’s home life absolutely slays. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 June 2026 With the Land Rover Terrain Response System offering modes comprising Eco, Dynamic, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud & Ruts, Sand, Rock Crawl, and Wade, the tech takes the geographic and meteorological elements and slays them with a flick of a control. — John Scott Lewinski, Robb Report, 8 Apr. 2026 Shortly after becoming husband and wife, Grace milks another loophole in the hide-and-seek rulebook and slays Titus, thereby sending the rest of the High Council to slaughter at the hands of their demonic overlord, Le Bail. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 23 Mar. 2026 Chriselle Lim demonstrates that a precise center part, along with a straight style, is the perfect formula for a sharp bob that slays. — Omenaa Boakye, InStyle, 31 Dec. 2025 That means, the two are booked and busy serving gothic style slays all day — with one exception. — Michelle Lee, People.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slays
  1. kills
  2. assassinates
  3. destroys
  4. murders
  5. executes
Verb
  • Airstrike in Gaza kills a 4-year-old Four-year-old Mohammed Taha died after an Israeli airstrike hit a house in central Gaza on Sunday, hospital authorities said.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Giving a mother who kills preferential treatment harkens to the patronizing assumption that women lack agency.
    — Dr. Susan Hatters Friedman, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of kills
Verb
  • That assassinates Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sparking retaliatory attacks by Iran across the Middle East.
    — Jill Lawrence, Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2026
  • Soleimani assassination | Trump orders a drone strike in Iraq that assassinates Qasem Soleimani, an influential Iranian military commander.
    — Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 1 Mar. 2026
Definition of assassinates
Verb
  • T cells, a type of immune cell that detects and destroys infected or abnormal cells, normally perform this inspection.
    — William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The white dwarf emits radiation and produces a giant gas bubble—the lion’s face—that destroys dust in its path.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of destroys
Verb
  • To get even with Kanan, Juke murders Raq, her surrogate mother.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Moriarty has reported on the yogurt shop murders for over 30 years.
    — Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 26 June 2026
Definition of murders
Verb
  • The logic controller receives inputs from sensors or other devices, executes a control program and sends outputs to other equipment.
    — Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Richet executes the whole thing with an almost sterile cleanliness.
    — Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of executes

Browse Nearby Words

slayings
slays
sleaze
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Slays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slays. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All