Skip to main content
to kill

to kill

10 4.7
Hit the ball or shuttlecock hard to try to win a point
  • verb
  • /kɪl/
  • Jargon
translation icon : rematar
  • 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 shoot
vsto kill
299 1.3

To try to score by sending a ball toward the goal

emphasizes power to win a point rather than merely aiming
to smash
vsto kill
50 3.3

To hit something with great force, often in sport

is a forceful shot intended to win a point or gain advantage
to drive
vsto kill
36 3.5

To hit a ball hard to make it go far

focuses on hitting hard to gain advantage or score a point
to hit the ball
vsto kill
34 1.0

To strike a ball with a bat or racket in a sport

focuses specifically on very forceful strikes to gain advantage
to connect
vsto kill
34 2.5

Hit the ball so it goes where you want

requires hitting with great force to win a point or gain advantage
to spank the ball
vsto kill
  • Jargon
6.1

To hit a ball hard so it goes far

is used to strike hard to win a point or gain advantage

Antonyms

73 3.1

A failure to hit or reach a target

Idioms

kill me
  • Informal
414 9.3

Said when you feel very annoyed or cannot believe something

To do two things at once with one action

to kill the mood
  • Informal
5 6.2

To end a pleasant situation suddenly by saying or doing something awkward that makes people feel bad

in for the kill
  • Informal
4 8.1

To act quickly and strongly to win when you see a chance

dressed to kill
  • Informal
1 6.8

Wearing very attractive, stylish clothes to get people's attention

To destroy a steady source of income by greedy short-term choices

to dress to kill
  • Informal
1 6.2

To wear very attractive clothes to impress people

1 8.9

Give someone a large special party with lots of food

To make a final move to win at an important moment

8.8

To remove parts of your writing that you love to make it clearer

8.9

A very angry stare that seems like it could hurt someone

Phrasal Verbs

to kill it
  • Slang
102 8.8

Do very well in something and impress people

44 4.8

Destroy almost all members of a group, like a type of animal or product

to kill for
  • Informal
41 7.3

To want something very much

to kill oneself
  • Informal
9 8.1

To work too hard and make yourself very tired or sick

8.6

Cause a person or animal to die without pain to stop suffering

To try to get the last hit on an enemy after another player did most fighting

Compounds

kill zone
  • Jargon
9 8.4

An area where people are very likely to be killed during an attack

kill steal
  • Jargon
8.9

Taking the final hit on an enemy in a game so another player does not get the kill

kill stealer
  • Jargon
9.9

A player who takes the final hit on an enemy another player fought

A plan that makes people or machines stop working without causing death and without causing damage

How Forceful

to kill
  • Jargon
10 4.7
to drive
36 3.5
to hit
1.0
to tap
174 1.0

Surface Forms

kill infinitive
killed past
killed past participle
killing present participle
kills third person singular

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.