to kill
- verb
- /kɪl/
- Jargon
- The tying TD was a great catch by TE Zach Ertz, who has killed Oregon all game.
- kill the ball
Examples
-
He served the shuttlecock high, and with one powerful stroke, he killed it to score the winning point.
-
Defensive specialist McKenna Reagan killed an overpassed ball to give the Tommies control of the game.
Blog text (14) -
If Mike were up to bat now, everyone on our team would be screaming, "Kill it, Mike!"
Fiction book (1999) -
Player asked to cheat by "killing the ball" (illegally preventing the ball from being won by the opposition).
Academic text (2001) -
Frederik Andersen stopped all 7 shots he saw, and the team killed the only penalty they took for the period.
Blog text (20) -
Hjalmarsson stayed out to kill his own penalty, but not very well, as Scott Hartnell scored.
Blog text (26) -
During the final match, she killed the ball with a fierce spike, leaving her opponents stunned.
-
With a swift kick, he killed the ball into the net, securing his team's victory.
Synonyms
To try to score by sending a ball toward the goal
To hit something with great force, often in sport
To hit a ball hard to make it go far
To strike a ball with a bat or racket in a sport
Hit the ball so it goes where you want
To hit a ball hard so it goes far
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
To end a pleasant situation suddenly by saying or doing something awkward that makes people feel bad
To destroy a steady source of income by greedy short-term choices
- Literature
To remove parts of your writing that you love to make it clearer
Phrasal Verbs
- Slang
To try to get the last hit on an enemy after another player did most fighting
Compounds
- Jargon
Taking the final hit on an enemy in a game so another player does not get the kill
- NSFW
A plan that makes people or machines stop working without causing death and without causing damage
How Forceful
Surface Forms
Etymology
In sports, to kill the ball means to hit it so the play ends and you win the point, which fits the old idea of striking down or 'finishing' something.