to kill off
82
4.8
- phrasal verb
- /kɪl ɔf/
- Nothing less than war would do to kill off slavery.
- kill off most
- threaten to kill off
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Watch on YouTubeSo those imposters have to kill off the crew mates while they do their tasks.
- So those imposters have to kill off the crew mates while they do their tasks.
- The scandals had killed off American Quiz Show seemingly for good.
- If you think about this, Ivermectin is a medication that kills off parasites.
- So to kill off the human race would be very, very difficult.
- Because once they form, they will amass money and power and look to kill off democracy.
- It's meant to, you know, it's meant to kill off pathogens and so good or bad, it will kill.
- So obviously my hair was a little bit shorter because like the bleach was killing off my hair.
- But then it's so dry because of the droughts, the everything else catches fire and it just kills off so many, so many different things.
- Because if you were a virus and you wanted to continue to to pass on your DNA, killing off your host is not a good game plan.
- Well, the Desk Mini uses an MXM card, a standard that NVIDIA might have killed off.
- Probiotics kill off the bad bacteria in your gut and really also help boost your immune system.
- He kidnaps Ukrainian kids, he kills opponents Alexander Navalny, he kills off oligarchs that threaten his power.
- Garlic and onions when they're well cooked are great for killing off bad bacteria in the gut and also have immune boosting benefits.
Examples
-
If we kill off the wild, then we're killing off a part of our souls.
-
Oystering on the Bay wasn't what it had been, not since parasites had killed off so many.
Fiction book (2001) -
So to kill off the human race would be very, very difficult.
-
If a group of guys are being killed off one after the other?
Fiction book (1994) -
Besides, the man was planning on killing off the entire population of New York City, if not the world.
Fiction book (2000) -
Australian scientists say climate change has officially killed off its first mammal species.
-
But increased use of pesticides killed off the fish, eliminating these important benefits.
Academic text (2003) -
Worldwide, the temperature dropped precipitously, killing off most of the plants and animals that had survived the initial cataclysm.
Fiction book (1992) -
If you think about this, Ivermectin is a medication that kills off parasites.
-
Climate change has killed off many species, threatening biodiversity.
Synonyms
∞
1.6
To remove or throw away something you do not want
769
3.4
Remove or kill something completely so it is gone
411
2.8
Stop something from working or continuing
347
4.2
Destroy something so nothing is left
84
6.6
Remove something harmful completely, for example a disease or pest
64
7.5
To destroy a large part of a group or population
61
6.9
To destroy something completely, often on purpose
58
7.5
To destroy completely, often killing many people
43
4.3
To stop being a group, for example a band or committee
43
7.4
To destroy something completely, often using a nuclear bomb
36
8.0
Shoot and kill opponents one by one from a hidden place
29
9.9
Kill someone as part of a crime
27
3.8
To remove unwanted people or things from a group
24
7.7
Put an end to something or to someone's life
12
7.7
Kill an entire group of people or animals so none are left
12
9.3
To kill someone who is a threat
2
4.6
Put an animal to death because it is seriously ill or dangerous
1
9.9
To kill someone secretly and without pity
Antonyms
How Eliminated
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to destroy or eliminate' is directly derivable from 'kill' (to cause death) combined with the particle 'off', which adds a completive/removal sense (i.e., kill completely or eliminate). This verb+particle composition is compositional and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings would likely infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Kill off paints a clear picture: you kill members of a group and off shows they are finished or gone. So it means 'to destroy or remove almost all of something'.