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# killer

noun (a killer, killers); adjective (informal: killer)

«killer» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A person, animal or thing that kills. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/killer/#m1)
2. Something that is the cause of many deaths, as in «Heart disease is a big killer». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/killer/#m2)
3. (slang) Something very good, impressive or very hard, as in «a killer goal» or «That test was a killer». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/killer/#m3)

### In the lessons

In news and stories: a killer is caught by police. In science and health: killer whales (orcas), killer diseases. In slang: «killer trainers» = great trainers; «My legs are a killer» = they really hurt. Phrases: killer whale, painkiller, killer instinct.

### Examples

- Killer whales hunt seals. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/killer/#x1)
- Smoking is a killer. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/killer/#x2)
- The police arrested the killer. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/killer/#x3)
- That was a killer goal! (slang) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/killer/#x4)
- Take a painkiller for your headache. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/killer/#x5)
- The last hill was a killer. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/killer/#x6)
- Weedkiller kills unwanted plants. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/killer/#x7)
- “Do you think a snake-killer kills muskrats?” said Rikki-tikki scornfully. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/killer/#x8)

### Note

Countable. Verb: kill. Compounds: painkiller, weedkiller, killjoy (someone who spoils fun). Slang «killer» for «great» is informal; avoid it in formal writing.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «killer» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/killer/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«killer» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/killer.html) on Mova free.