From Middle English sleen, slayn, from Old English slēan, from Proto-West Germanic *slahan, from Proto-Germanic *slahaną, from Proto-Indo-European *slak-.

Cognate with Dutch slaan, Low German slaan, German schlagen, Danish -, Norwegian - and Swedish slå, Icelandic slá. Related to slaughter, onslaught.

• enPR: slā, IPA: /sleɪ/

slay (slays, present participle slaying; simple past slew, past participle slain)

1. (transitive, now, literary) To kill; to murder.

   Synonyms: Thesaurus:kill

   The knight slew the dragon.

   Our foes must all be slain.

   • 1577, Raphaell Holinshed, “The Historie of Englande”, in The Firste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande […], volume I, London: […] [Henry Bynneman] for Iohn Harrison, →OCLC ↗, page 26 ↗, columns 1–2:

     In the meane time it chaunced, that Marcus Papyrius ſtroke one of the Galles on the heade with his ſtaffe, because he preſumed to ſtroke his bearde: with whiche iniurie the Gaulle beeing prouoked, ſlue Papyrius (as he ſate) with hys ſworde, and therewith the ſlaughter being begun with one, all the reſidue of thoſe auncient fatherly men as they ſat in theyr Chayres were ſlaine and cruelly murthered.

   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act II, scene i]:

     The Prince of Morocco:
     […] By this scimitar,
     That slew the Sophy and a Persian prince
     That won three fields of Sultan Solyman,
     I would outstare the sternest eyes that look,
     Outbrave the heart most daring on earth,
     Pluck the young sucking cubs from the she-bear,
     Yea, mock the lion when he roars for prey,
     To win thee, lady. […]

2. (transitive, literary) To eradicate or stamp out.

   You must slay these thoughts.

3. (transitive, by extension, hyperbolic, informal) To defeat; to overcome (in a competition or contest).

   Synonyms: conquer

4. (transitive, slang) To delight or overwhelm, especially with laughter.

   Synonyms: hit it out of the park, kill

   Ha ha! You slay me!

5. (ambitransitive, chiefly, AAVE and LGBT slang) To amaze, stun or otherwise incapacitate by excellence; to excel at something.

   Synonyms: kill

   Your outfit slays!

6. (slang) To have sex with.

   Synonyms: coitize, go to bed with, sleep with, Thesaurus:copulate with

   • 2015 Sexual Harassment in Education and Work Settings: Current Research and Best Practices for Prevention ↗

     The Online Slang Dictionary offers nearly 200 words referring to sexual intercourse. Many of the terms and phrases connote violence, such as: “bang,” “beat,” “chopped up,” “cut,” “hit,” “hit raw,” “hit that,” “kick it,” “nail,” “pound,” “ram,” “slap and tickle,” “slay,” “smack,” “smash,” and “spank”

• onslaught
• slaughter
• self-slaughter

• French: tuer, assassiner, occire
• German: töten, umbringen, erschlagen
• Italian: uccidere, assassinare
• Portuguese: matar, assassinar
• Russian: (perfective) уби́ть
• Spanish: matar, asesinar

slay (plural slays)

1. (chiefly, AAVE and LGBT slang) Something excellent, amazing or fashionable.

See sley

slay (plural slays)

1. Alternative form of sley

1. Surname.