slay
gb/slˈeɪ/ us/slˈeɪ/
B2
English
~ 5400
kinyír, megöl, eltesz láb alól, sok emberéletet követel, megtizedel, tarol, nagyot megy, halálra nevettet, szétröhögtet
VERB
B2
1
Usage pattern:
to slay [someone/something]
The knight swore he would slay the dragon and free the town.
A lovag megesküdött, hogy megöli a sárkányt, és felszabadítja a várost.
In the story, a hero slays the giant with a single blow.
A történetben a hős egyetlen csapással megöli az óriást.
The suspect admitted he had slain the man during an argument.
Many warriors were slain on the battlefield that day.
The king ordered his soldiers to slay anyone who refused to surrender.
Learner examples
The hero slays the monster at the end of the movie.
A hős a film végén megöli a szörnyet.
The soldier was slain in the war.
A katonát megölték a háborúban.
In this game, you must slay all the zombies.
The hunter slayed the wild animal with one shot.
The king was slain by his own brother.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "slay" instead of the more common verb "kill" in normal situations. In everyday speech, "kill" is usually better. Also, the past forms for this meaning are irregular: "slay – slew – slain" in standard written English. "Slayed" is common in slang senses but is less standard in this killing sense.
Meaning
kill someone or something
Collocations
slay a dragon
|slay the monster
|slay an enemy
|slay a victim
|slay the king
|be slain in battle
Synonyms
kill (More common and neutral; less dramatic or literary than "slay.")
|
murder (Specifically means illegally killing a person; often used in legal or crime contexts.)
|
butcher (Suggests killing in a very violent, bloody, or cruel way.)
Antonyms
spare (Means to choose not to kill someone or something.)
|
save (Means to stop someone or something from dying or being killed.)
Themes
violence
|crime
|fantasy
|war
|law
Definition
To kill a person or an animal on purpose.
To kill a person or animal on purpose, especially in a violent, dramatic, or heroic way.
VERB
C1
FORMAL
2
Usage pattern:
to slay [number] [people/animals]
The earthquake slew thousands of people across the region.
A földrengés több ezer ember életét követelte a térségben.
A deadly virus has slain millions worldwide over the last decade.
Egy halálos vírus az elmúlt évtizedben világszerte milliók életét követelte.
Floods slayed hundreds in the coastal areas after the storm.
The bombing campaign slew countless civilians.
The disease has already slain more than ten thousand cattle.
Learner examples
The war slew thousands of soldiers and civilians.
A háború katonák és civilek ezreinek életét követelte.
A strong virus slew many people in the city.
Egy agresszív vírus sok ember életét követelte a városban.
The disease slew most of the animals on the farm.
The huge fire slew dozens of workers in the factory.
The storm slew hundreds of people in the small country.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this formal, large-scale meaning with the more general meaning "to kill one person or animal." In news reports about disasters or wars, "slay" usually suggests many deaths, not a single one.
Meaning
kill many people or animals
Collocations
slay thousands
|slay civilians
|slay hundreds of people
|slay innocent people
|slay whole villages
Synonyms
massacre (Strongly suggests killing many people in a cruel or shocking way.)
|
decimate (Often used when a group or population is greatly reduced, not always by direct killing.)
Antonyms
protect (Means to keep people or animals safe from being killed or harmed.)
Themes
war
|disasters
|health
|law
|nature
Definition
To kill many people or animals at one time, for example in a war or accident.
To kill large numbers of people or animals, especially in war, disasters, or epidemics.
VERB
B2
SLANG
3
tarol
B2
nagyot megy
B2
Usage pattern:
to slay [it] at [activity]
She absolutely slayed her performance and got a standing ovation.
Teljesen tarolt az előadásával, és állva tapsolták meg.
You look incredible tonight—you’re totally slaying that outfit.
Elképesztően nézel ki ma este — totál tarolsz ebben a szettben.
The team slayed it in the final and won by ten points.
His jokes always slay at open-mic nights.
They slayed the runway with their bold new collection.
Learner examples
You will slay it on stage tonight.
Ma este tarolni fogsz a színpadon.
She slayed the test and got the best score in the class.
Tarolt a teszten, és ő érte el a legjobb pontszámot az osztályban.
That singer slayed the song and the crowd cheered.
You are slaying in that dress.
Their band slayed at the concert last night.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use this slang meaning in formal writing or business situations, where it can sound too casual or unprofessional. It is common in social media, fashion, music, and queer culture. Also, this sense usually uses the regular past tense "slayed" ("she slayed it"), unlike the more traditional killing sense, which prefers "slew" and "slain".
Meaning
do extremely well; look amazing
Collocations
slay the game
|slay the look
|slay the runway
|absolutely slay
|slay your performance
|she slays
Synonyms
nail it (Very close in meaning; common informal phrase for doing something perfectly.)
|
crush it (Informal/slang; often used for strong performance, especially in sports or work.)
|
rock (Informal; often used for performing well or looking great, especially in music and fashion contexts.)
Antonyms
bomb (Slang; to fail very badly at something like a show, test, or performance.)
|
flop (Informal; to be a big failure, especially for a show, product, or performance.)
Themes
pop culture
|compliments
|performance
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Definition
To do something very, very well or to look very, very good, so that people are excited or impressed.
To perform extremely well or to look extremely impressive and stylish, especially so that other people strongly admire you.
VERB
C1
INFORMAL
4
szétröhögtet
C1
Usage pattern:
to slay [someone] (with [joke/story])
You absolutely slay me with that story every time.
Mindig halálra nevettetsz ezzel a történettel.
The comedian slayed the audience with her sharp one-liners.
A humorista éles, egysoros poénjaival halálra nevettette a közönséget.
His silly dance moves just slayed us.
Her impression of the teacher totally slayed the whole class.
That meme slays me whenever I see it.
Learner examples
You slay me with your funny jokes.
A vicceiddel halálra nevettetsz.
The comedian slayed the crowd last night.
A humorista tegnap este halálra nevettette a közönséget.
That video always slays me; I laugh so hard.
Her story about the cat really slayed us.
His face when he fell off the chair slayed everyone.
Common mistake:
This meaning is usually used in set phrases like "you slay me" or with groups like "slay the audience." It is not common in serious or formal contexts. Learners may confuse it with the slang sense of "do extremely well" or the literal "kill" meaning; context and tone are important.
Meaning
make someone laugh a lot
Collocations
you slay me
|slay the audience
|slay us with your jokes
|completely slayed the crowd
Synonyms
crack up (Informal phrasal verb meaning to make someone laugh a lot.)
|
kill (someone) (In the sense "you kill me," very similar informal expression meaning to make someone laugh very hard.)
Antonyms
bore (Means to make someone feel uninterested, the opposite of making them laugh a lot.)
Themes
humor
|emotions
|communication
Definition
To make someone laugh a lot.
To make someone laugh very hard, often used in the expression "you slay me."
Grammar
Dictionary form
slay
IPA
GB/slˈeɪ/
US/slˈeɪ/
Syllables & stress
slay (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (slay)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: slay
- 3rd Person Singular: slays
- Present Participle: slaying
- Past: slew
- Past Participle: slain
Word family
Forms
slays
verb
slaying
verb
slew
verb
slain
verb
Core family
slayer
noun
Related words
slaughter
verb B2
Highlights
- Irregular past: slew Verb
- Irregular past participle: slain Verb
Expressions
slay it
1/slˈeɪ ˈɪt/
idiom
slang
do something extremely well
To perform a task or activity extremely well.
Examples
- Go out there and slay it on stage tonight.
- She slayed it in the interview and got the job.
- They really slayed it at the competition this year.
slay the game
1/slˈeɪ ðə ɡˈeɪm/
idiom
slang
be extremely successful
To do extremely well in some area, like work, school, or fashion.
Examples
- She’s really slaying the game as a young designer.
- Their startup is slaying the game in the tech world right now.
- You’re slaying the game with those videos; everyone is sharing them.
slay the runway
1/slˈeɪ ðə ɹˈʌnwˌeɪ/
idiom
slang
do amazingly on the runway
To walk and show clothes in a fashion show in a very strong, impressive way.
Examples
- The models slayed the runway at Fashion Week.
- She slayed the runway in that red dress and everyone was talking about her.
- They told the contestants to go out there and slay the runway.
slay your demons
1/slˈeɪ jˈʊɹ dˈimənz/
idiom
overcome personal problems
To deal with and beat your deep personal problems, fears, or bad habits.
Examples
- He had to slay his demons before he could rebuild his life.
- The book is about learning to slay your demons of shame and anger.
- Therapy helped her slay the demons that had held her back for years.
you slay me
1/jˈu slˈeɪ mˈi/
idiom
informal
you make me laugh a lot
You make me laugh very hard.
Examples
- You slay me with those ridiculous stories.
- Stop, you slay me every time you do that voice.
- Honestly, you slay me; I can’t stop laughing.
slay the dragon
1/slˈeɪ ðə dɹˈæɡən/
idiom
literary
defeat a huge challenge
To beat or solve a very big and hard problem or enemy.
Examples
- In starting her own business, she felt she had finally slain the dragon of self-doubt.
- For this company, fixing its debt is like trying to slay the dragon.
- The film's hero must slay the dragon to save the kingdom.
- She finally slayed the dragon of self-doubt and started her own business.
- The film follows a hero who must slay the dragon of corruption in his town.