Killer

'kɪlər

nounmediumVery CommonGeneral

Definitions

2 meanings
1

A person or thing that causes death; a murderer or an agent of destruction or annihilation.

'kɪlər

nounnegativemedium
General

A person or thing that kills.

The killer was caught after a long investigation.

💡 Simply: Imagine a bad guy who hurts people (that's a killer!), or a really tough move in a game that decides the winner. It's something that causes harm or ends something.

👶 For kids: Someone who hurts someone else on purpose.

More Examples

2

The storm was a killer of crops.

How It's Used

Crime

"The police are searching for the killer."

Sports

"He was the killer of the game with his last-minute goal."

2

(Informal) Extremely good or impressive; remarkable.

'kɪlər

adjectivepositiveBeginner
General

Extremely impressive or effective.

She wore a killer dress to the party.

💡 Simply: When something is super great, awesome, or amazing. Like, if you see a really cool car, you might say it's a 'killer' car!

👶 For kids: Something super good or cool!

More Examples

2

That was a killer performance.

How It's Used

Informal

"That movie was killer!"

Music

"She had a killer voice."

Tip:Think of something so good that it *kills* the competition; it's outstanding.

Idioms & expressions

killer app

A software application that is so useful or popular that it drives the sales or use of the platform on which it runs.

"The company is looking for a killer app to make their new product succeed."

From Old English *cyller*, a derivative of *cillan* 'to kill', influenced by the verb 'to kill'.

The term has consistently referred to someone or something causing death since at least the 16th century. The informal usage denoting something exceptional is a more recent development.

Memory tip

Think of someone or something actively causing death or destruction; a person or thing that *kills*.

kilerkilla

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written