murder
murder — noun
1. the crime of ending someone's life on purpose and without legal permission
the crime of ending someone's life on purpose and without legal permission
Christopher was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
passive: found guilty of murder
The police are investigating a murder near the train station last night.
collocation: investigate a murder
Sari wrote a report on the rise in murder rates over the past ten years.
In Devika's novel, a murder in a small coastal town starts the main mystery.
- homicide
the broader legal term for any killing of one person by another, whether intentional or not
- manslaughter
a lesser charge than murder, involving killing without premeditation or intent
文法句型
murder of [someone]
commit murder
murder [noun modifier]
用法筆記
In law, murder is distinguished from manslaughter by the presence of intent or 'malice aforethought.' Frequently occurs in set phrases such as 'murder charge,' 'murder trial,' and 'murder weapon.'
常見錯誤
2. the traditional term for several crows that are assembled in one location togeth
the traditional term for several crows that are assembled in one location together
Renata spotted a murder of crows in the old oak tree behind her house.
count noun: a murder of crows
A large murder of crows flew up from the field as the tractor approached.
Saira photographed a murder of crows gathering on the church roof at sunset.
Caio counted forty birds in the murder of crows that landed in the park.
文法句型
a murder of [crows]
用法筆記
This collective noun belongs to a set of traditional English terms for animal groups (e.g., 'a pride of lions,' 'a school of fish'). It is mostly used in nature writing, puzzles, or trivia rather than everyday conversation.
3. something that is extremely hard to deal with, dangerous, or unpleasant
something that is extremely hard to deal with, dangerous, or unpleasant
Getting all the paperwork done before the deadline was murder.
collocation: be murder (informal)
The hike up the mountain in the rain was absolute murder on Aylin's knees.
collocation: be murder on [body part]
Lakan said that trying to get through airport security with three small kids was murder.
That chemistry final was murder — Iris studied for weeks and still found it incredibly hard.
- breeze
informal term for something very easy
文法句型
be murder
be murder on [body part]
用法筆記
Only used predicatively — you cannot say 'a murder task' or 'the murder homework.' Always appears after a linking verb like 'be' or 'feel.' Typically followed by 'on' when specifying what is affected.
常見錯誤
murder — verb
1. to deliberately and without legal right cause the death of another person
to deliberately and without legal right cause the death of another person
A man was found to have murdered his neighbour after years of arguing about a fence.
past perfect: had murdered + time phrase
Yasmin read a true-crime book about a nurse who murdered several elderly patients during her night shifts.
Yael cannot believe that anyone would murder another person simply over money.
Élise was charged with attempted murder after the knife attack outside the supermarket.
- kill
a general term for causing death; does not imply illegality
- assassinate
to murder a prominent person, usually for political reasons
- slay
a more literary or formal term for killing with violence
文法句型
murder [someone]
用法筆記
Frequently occurs in legal contexts alongside 'charges,' 'conviction,' and 'sentence.' The passive construction ('was murdered') is very common in news reporting. For the legal category of killing without intent, use 'manslaughter' instead.
常見錯誤
2. to say in an angry and exaggerated way that you are so furious with someone you
to say in an angry and exaggerated way that you are so furious with someone you want to hurt them, without meaning it literally
When Ingrid found out someone had scratched her new car, she said she could murder them.
collocation: could murder [someone]
If Minh's brother touches his laptop again without asking, Minh swears he will murder him.
conditional: If + present, will murder
Rachid could murder his roommate for leaving dirty dishes in the sink for a whole week.
Haruto told his sister he would murder her if she told their parents about the broken vase.
文法句型
could murder [someone]
I could murder [someone] for [something]
用法筆記
Always used with 'could' or 'will' in a conditional, hypothetical, or exaggerated statement — not used in the simple past (*'I murdered him' cannot carry this hyperbolic meaning). The object is usually a person who has caused annoyance.
常見錯誤
3. to perform or do something so badly that you completely spoil or ruin it
to perform or do something so badly that you completely spoil or ruin it
The amateur singer murdered the national anthem by singing completely off-key.
collocation: murder [song/anthem]
Wei tried to bake a cake but absolutely murdered it — the cake was burnt and raw.
Hamza's band murdered the cover song at the school talent show last Friday.
Asher tried to tell a joke at dinner but murdered it by forgetting the funny ending.
- nail
informal: 'she nailed the performance' means she did it perfectly
文法句型
murder [song/performance/role]
用法筆記
Almost always about creative or performative acts — singing, acting, cooking, writing. The speaker expresses strong disapproval in an exaggerated way. Intensifiers like 'absolutely' or 'totally' are common before 'murdered.'