# killer

Pronunciation: US say "KIL-er" /ˈkɪlɚ/; UK say "KIL-uh" /ˈkɪlə(ɹ)/

## Noun

1. A person, animal, or thing that kills.
   - Simple: Someone or something that kills.
   - _Detectives believe the killer knew the victim well._
   - _Infections that are easy to treat today were once major killers of young children._
4. A person or thing that is remarkably impressive.
   - Simple: A person or thing that is really amazing.
   - _With that voice and that stage presence, the young singer is a real killer._
   - _The album has a few weak songs, but the closing track is a killer._
5. Something that causes stress or is extremely difficult, especially something that could make someone fail at a task.
   - Simple: Something very hard or stressful, especially something that could make you fail.
   - _The last question on the exam was a killer, and half the class left it blank._
   - _Those early-morning shifts are killers when you also have a newborn at home._
6. Short for killer whale. — Ellipsis of killer whale.
   - Simple: Short for killer whale. People use it when they are already talking about whales.
   - _The guide said the black-and-white whale near the boat was a killer, probably hunting seals._
   - _Scientists tagged a young killer to learn how the pod hunts sea lions._
7. Something so far ahead of its rivals that it effectively wipes them out.
   - Simple: Something so much better than others of its kind that they can no longer compete.
   - _Reviewers hailed the cheap tablet as a laptop killer, and laptop sales did dip that year._
   - _Free video-calling apps proved to be the killer of expensive international phone calls._
9. A knockout game of darts or pool for several players, who are eliminated until a single winner remains.
   - Simple: A darts or pool game for a group, where players are put out until only one is left.
   - _On Friday nights the regulars gather around the dartboard for a few rounds of killer._
   - _With six friends waiting for the pool table, we played killer so everyone could join in._
10. A club used for killing fish once they have been caught.
   - Simple: A thick stick used to kill fish after they are caught.
   - _He landed the salmon, then reached for the killer in his tackle bag._
   - _Carry a killer in the boat so any fish you plan to eat can be dealt with quickly._
11. A particularly heavy handstamp, or part of one, struck on mail and often obscuring much of the postage stamp.
   - Simple: A heavy mark, or part of one, stamped by hand on mail that often covers a big part of the stamp.
   - _The stamp would be worth far more if a heavy killer had not blotted out the portrait._
   - _The dealer's album held envelopes struck with killers carved in the shape of stars and shields._
12. Another name for the virama, a diacritical mark in Indic scripts that silences a vowel or a consonant.
   - Simple: Another name for a virama, a small mark in some Asian writing systems that stops a sound from being said.
   - _When a Thai word keeps a silent letter from its Sanskrit spelling, a killer is written above that letter._
   - _The new font finally rendered the killer correctly, so the two consonants joined into one cluster._

## Adjective

2. Causing death, destruction, or complete obliteration.
   - Simple: That causes death or destroys things completely.
   - _A killer storm tore through the coast, flattening homes and leaving dozens dead._
   - _The film imagines a future in which killer drones choose their own targets._
3. Excellent, very good, or impressively cool. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Really great or very cool.
   - _The band played a killer set that kept the whole crowd dancing until midnight._
   - _She came back from Italy with a killer recipe for lasagna._
8. Causing distress or discomfort.
   - Simple: Making you feel upset or uncomfortable.
   - _The morning after the reception, he woke up with a killer hangover._
   - _A killer cramp in her calf woke her at three in the morning._

## Origin

From Middle English killer (also kyller); it can be analysed as kill + -er.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/killer (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).