slay

Formsslays, slaying, slew, slain

Pluralslays

1. 1
   killverbliterarytransitive

   To kill a person or animal, especially in a deliberate or violent act.

   Legend says the saint slew a fearsome dragon by the river.

   In old legends, knights ride out to slay whatever beast threatens the kingdom.

   UsageThe past is slew and the participle slain: slew the dragon, was slain. Everyday speech says kill.

   Similarkill, murder, destroy, eliminate, exterminate

   Note

   The oldest sense, and the root of the others: Old English slēan meant to strike, beat or smite, and killing was one of its uses. Here the strong forms hold firm. The knight slew the dragon, and our foes must be slain. Holinshed's chronicle of 1577 and Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice both use the strong past. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 6 facts

   • The killing sense is ancestral to the later figurative senses. en.wiktionary.org
   • Old English slēan denoted striking and killing. en.wiktionary.org
   • Holinshed's Chronicles was first published in 1577. en.wikipedia.org
   • The 1577 chronicle uses the strong past tense, spelled slue. english.nsms.ox.ac.uk
   • Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice. en.wikipedia.org
   • The Merchant of Venice uses slew; the Prince of Morocco speaks the relevant line. folger.edu
2. 2
   excelverbslangtransitive or intransitive

   To impress or amaze people through sheer excellence; to do something exceptionally well.

   Performers who truly slay can silence a noisy room in seconds.

   She slayed the final round and walked away with the crown.

   UsageWorks with or without an object: the outfit slays, she slayed the round. The past here is usually slayed.

   Similarexcel, rock, shine, rule, kill

   Oppositeflop, bomb, fail

   Note

   Praise that comes chiefly from African-American Vernacular English and LGBTQ slang, where excellence is imagined as knocking the onlooker flat. Unlike the older senses, it needs no object: an outfit simply slays, and Chaise Sanders wrote in 2023 that a Beetlejuice costume "can easily slay on its own." Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • The praise sense comes chiefly from African-American Vernacular English and LGBTQ slang. en.wiktionary.org
   • The cited Chaise Sanders article dates to 2023. en.wiktionary.org
   • The article uses the exact quoted words about a Beetlejuice costume. cosmopolitan.com
3. 3
   cheer of praiseinterjectionslang

   An exclamation of enthusiastic approval or admiration, said in response to something impressive.

   Slay! You handled that interview like a pro.

   She showed off her new haircut, and her friends shouted, "Slay!"

4. 4
   wipe outverbliterarytransitive

   To eradicate or stamp out something entirely, as one might an evil or a scourge.

   UsageThe object is a problem or an evil: slay inflation, slay ignorance.

   Similareradicate, destroy, vanquish, banish, eliminate

   Oppositefoster, nurture

5. 5
   verbcolloquialtransitive

   To defeat or overcome an opponent in a competition or contest.

   The underdogs slayed the defending champions in straight sets.

   If we slay them in the next match, we top the table.

   UsageThe past in this playful use is often slayed: the underdogs slayed the champions.

   Similarconquer

   Note

   Hyperbole from the scoreboard: a beaten side is spoken of as a slain one. In this playful use the regular past slayed turns up, as when Jack Curry wrote in The New York Times in 1993 that the Yankees "were actually slayed" by two former Yankees. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • Jack Curry wrote the cited passage in The New York Times in 1993. en.wiktionary.org
   • Curry used the exact words “were actually slayed” about the Yankees being defeated by two former Yankees. en.wiktionary.org

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