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to remove

to remove

58 9.9
To kill someone on purpose, usually by a criminal group
  • verb
  • /rɪˈmuːv/
  • Offensive
translation icon : liquidar
  • So let's start with, how do you remove people without looking like a jerk?

You know, on this occasion I tried to remove him without whacking him and it went wrong.

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Examples

  • In the dark alley, he plotted how to remove his rival once and for all.

  • On May 26, 1838, the federal government began enforcing the treaty by removing the Cherokees from Georgia.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Later that night, a mob removed him from his cell and killed him.

    Academic text (2004)
  • I just need to remove her, that's all.

  • FLIGHT ATTENDANT: Sir, we will remove you from the aircraft if this continues.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • So I have to remove you, but I can't forgive you.

  • If he displeased his tribe, they would remove and likely kill him.

    Academic text (2011)
  • We can be sure we get all the missiles, and we remove Castro so this can never happen again.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Bailiff, remove the prisoner.

  • The crime boss instructed his men to remove anyone who posed a threat to their operation.

Synonyms

to murder
vsto remove
  • NSFW
3.0

To kill someone on purpose in an illegal way

is informal euphemism used especially about organized crime rather than legal term
to hit
vsto remove
  • Offensive
653 8.8

To kill someone as part of a plan, often by hired people

is informal euphemism but not limited to paid or contract killings
to execute
vsto remove
  • Formal
294 6.1

To put someone to death as a legal punishment

is informal and refers to secretive criminal killings rather than legal orders
to slay
vsto remove
  • NSFW
62 7.5

To kill someone on purpose

is informal and euphemistic rather than directly naming the violent act
to commit murder
vsto remove
  • NSFW
60 5.4

To kill someone illegally

is a euphemistic informal phrasing used in organized crime contexts
to put to death
vsto remove
  • Offensive
46 7.6

To kill someone as a legal punishment

is an informal euphemism implying planned illegal acts by organized groups
to off
vsto remove
  • Offensive
27 9.9

To kill someone on purpose

is a polite euphemism used especially about organized crime killings
to dispatch
vsto remove
  • Offensive
13 7.7

To kill a person or animal quickly on purpose

is an informal euphemism focusing on planned elimination not speed
to liquidate
vsto remove
  • Offensive
9 9.3

To kill someone who is a threat

is a milder euphemism used when organized groups end rivals deliberately
to bump off
vsto remove
  • Offensive
5 9.3

To kill someone on purpose, usually secretly and as part of a crime

is a euphemistic informal phrase often used about organized crime
to polish off
vsto remove
  • Offensive
1 9.5

To kill someone on purpose

is an informal euphemism often used about organized group killings
to murther
vsto remove
  • Archaic
9.9

To kill someone on purpose and illegally, used in old writing

is an informal modern euphemism rather than an old literary term

Phrasal Verbs

Get rid of a mark on clothes or other things by cleaning

How Violent

to assassinate
  • NSFW
199 7.0
to murder
  • NSFW
3.0
to kill
  • NSFW
1.0
to remove
  • Offensive
58 9.9

Surface Forms

remove infinitive
removed past
removed past participle
removing present participle
removes third person singular

Morphology

remove = move (semi-transparent) = re + move

The 'kill' sense is a euphemistic or idiomatic extension of 'take away' (remove), so the link to 're- + move' is metaphorical rather than literally descriptive.

Etymology

Remove is sometimes used as a polite or secret way to say 'kill' in crime stories. It comes from re- 'back' and move 'to move', and the image of 'taking someone away' becomes a softer phrase for getting rid of them.