Sometimes in English, people use special phrases to talk about serious things in softer or more creative ways. One of those serious topics is “killing.” While this may sound dark, some idioms use the word “kill” but don’t really mean hurting someone. These idioms are used in everyday language to describe actions like solving problems quickly, doing two things at once, or ending something completely.
In this lesson, you’ll learn idioms that include the word “kill” but are not meant to be taken literally. They are used in friendly conversations, stories, or even jokes. By understanding these phrases, you’ll get better at reading, writing, and talking in English. Let’s take a closer look at what these idioms really mean and how we use them in real life.
Idioms for Killing
1. Kick the bucket
Meaning: To die
Sample Sentences: My grandpa’s dog kicked the bucket last year. / The old robot in the movie finally kicked the bucket.
Other Way to Say: Passed away / Died
2. Bite the dust
Meaning: To die or fail
Sample Sentences: The cowboy bit the dust in the movie. / My video game character bit the dust too soon.
Other Way to Say: Ended / Lost
3. Take someone out
Meaning: To kill someone
Sample Sentences: In the spy movie, the hero took the villain out. / The army team took out the enemies.
Other Way to Say: Got rid of / Took down
4. Do someone in
Meaning: To kill or harm someone badly
Sample Sentences: The crook tried to do him in, but he escaped. / She almost did herself in with that bad fall.
Other Way to Say: Hurt badly / Took down
5. Rub out
Meaning: To kill someone
Sample Sentences: The gangster rubbed out his rival. / They planned to rub out the witness.
Other Way to Say: Erased / Took care of
6. Snuff out
Meaning: To end someone’s life
Sample Sentences: The fire snuffed out before spreading. / The villain tried to snuff out the hero.
Other Way to Say: End / Stop
7. Off someone
Meaning: To kill someone
Sample Sentences: In the book, the spy offed the traitor. / The robot offed the villain in one move.
Other Way to Say: Eliminated / Knocked off
8. Eliminate
Meaning: To kill or remove
Sample Sentences: The bug was eliminated with spray. / The superhero eliminated the bad guy.
Other Way to Say: Removed / Got rid of
9. Terminate
Meaning: To kill
Sample Sentences: The robot terminated the enemy. / The mission was to terminate the target.
Other Way to Say: End / Cancel
10. End someone
Meaning: To kill
Sample Sentences: In the movie, the knight ended the dragon. / They ended the fight quickly.
Other Way to Say: Finished off / Defeated
11. Waste someone
Meaning: To kill someone
Sample Sentences: The spy wasted the enemy. / In the game, he wasted the boss.
Other Way to Say: Defeated / Took down
12. Whack
Meaning: To kill
Sample Sentences: The gangster got whacked in the story. / They whacked the bad guy.
Other Way to Say: Knocked off / Took out
13. Blow away
Meaning: To kill with a gun
Sample Sentences: The hero blew away the monster. / He got blown away in the game.
Other Way to Say: Shot down / Beat
14. Ice someone
Meaning: To kill someone
Sample Sentences: The agent iced the villain. / He got iced during the chase.
Other Way to Say: Took out / Knocked off
15. Put down
Meaning: To kill (used for animals)
Sample Sentences: They had to put down the old dog. / The horse was put down after the injury.
Other Way to Say: Euthanized / Ended pain
16. Neutralize
Meaning: To kill or stop a threat
Sample Sentences: The soldiers neutralized the threat. / The team neutralized the danger.
Other Way to Say: Stopped / Ended
17. Put to sleep
Meaning: To kill an animal humanely
Sample Sentences: They put the sick cat to sleep. / The vet had to put the dog to sleep.
Other Way to Say: Let go / Rest forever
18. Drop dead
Meaning: To die suddenly
Sample Sentences: He dropped dead on the field. / The character dropped dead in the game.
Other Way to Say: Died quickly / Fell
19. Give someone the ax
Meaning: To kill or get rid of someone
Sample Sentences: The villain gave the knight the ax. / The team gave the robot the ax.
Other Way to Say: Cut out / Got rid of
20. Wipe out
Meaning: To destroy or kill
Sample Sentences: The storm wiped out the village. / They wiped out the enemy base.
Other Way to Say: Destroyed / Took out
21. Zap
Meaning: To kill with a quick strike or laser
Sample Sentences: The alien zapped the hero. / He got zapped by the robot.
Other Way to Say: Shot / Blasted
22. Destroy
Meaning: To kill or ruin completely
Sample Sentences: They destroyed the monster. / The army destroyed the robot.
Other Way to Say: Smashed / Crushed
23. Finish off
Meaning: To kill something that is almost dead
Sample Sentences: The hero finished off the dragon. / She finished off the last enemy.
Other Way to Say: Ended / Took care of
24. Lay to rest
Meaning: To bury or kill
Sample Sentences: He was laid to rest in the story. / They laid the old warrior to rest.
Other Way to Say: Buried / Died
25. Send someone to their grave
Meaning: To kill someone
Sample Sentences: The poison sent the villain to his grave. / The hero nearly got sent to his grave.
Other Way to Say: Killed / Ended life
26. Take a life
Meaning: To kill someone
Sample Sentences: The soldier took a life in the battle. / It’s sad when someone takes a life.
Other Way to Say: Caused death / Ended someone
27. Turn to dust
Meaning: To die or be destroyed
Sample Sentences: The old king turned to dust. / The robot turned to dust in the fire.
Other Way to Say: Gone / Ended
28. Drop like flies
Meaning: Many people or things die quickly
Sample Sentences: In the game, enemies dropped like flies. / The bugs dropped like flies.
Other Way to Say: Fell fast / Died quickly
29. Push up daisies
Meaning: To be dead and buried
Sample Sentences: The cartoon character is now pushing up daisies. / He said the monster was pushing up daisies.
Other Way to Say: Buried / Dead
30. Breathe your last
Meaning: To die
Sample Sentences: The knight breathed his last in battle. / She breathed her last on the mountain.
Other Way to Say: Passed away / Gone
31. Cross over
Meaning: To die
Sample Sentences: Grandma crossed over peacefully. / He crossed over after the long illness.
Other Way to Say: Passed on / Gone
32. Meet your end
Meaning: To die
Sample Sentences: The pirate met his end at sea. / He met his end in the cave.
Other Way to Say: Died / Finished
33. Go to sleep forever
Meaning: To die
Sample Sentences: The hero went to sleep forever. / They said the dog went to sleep forever.
Other Way to Say: Rest forever / Passed
34. Go belly up
Meaning: To die or fail
Sample Sentences: The fish went belly up. / His plan went belly up fast.
Other Way to Say: Failed / Died
35. Shut someone down
Meaning: To kill or stop
Sample Sentences: The robot was shut down. / The system shut down the enemy.
Other Way to Say: Turned off / Stopped
36. Fall in battle
Meaning: To die while fighting
Sample Sentences: The knight fell in battle. / Many heroes fell in battle.
Other Way to Say: Died fighting / Lost life
37. End of the line
Meaning: The moment someone dies
Sample Sentences: It was the end of the line for the villain. / The game said it’s the end of the line.
Other Way to Say: Game over / Died
38. Pass on
Meaning: To die
Sample Sentences: He passed on during the night. / She passed on after the storm.
Other Way to Say: Died / Left
39. Knock off
Meaning: To kill
Sample Sentences: The spy knocked off the guard. / They knocked off the creature.
Other Way to Say: Got rid of / Took out
40. Silent forever
Meaning: Dead and no longer speaking
Sample Sentences: After the crash, he was silent forever. / The villain was silent forever in the end.
Other Way to Say: Gone / No more
41. Put a bullet in
Meaning: To shoot and kill
Sample Sentences: The hero put a bullet in the monster. / The outlaw put a bullet in his foe.
Other Way to Say: Shot / Took down
42. Take care of
Meaning: To kill or remove
Sample Sentences: The soldier took care of the threat. / The spy took care of the problem.
Other Way to Say: Handled / Finished
43. Strike down
Meaning: To kill or defeat
Sample Sentences: The knight struck down the beast. / The army struck down the attackers.
Other Way to Say: Beat / Killed
44. Bury
Meaning: To kill or lay someone to rest
Sample Sentences: They buried the old warrior. / The battle ended and the soldiers were buried.
Other Way to Say: Laid to rest / Gone
45. Blow someone to bits
Meaning: Kill by explosion
Sample Sentences: The bomb blew the robot to bits. / They got blown to bits in the game.
Other Way to Say: Exploded / Destroyed
46. Drown out
Meaning: Kill or silence (used figuratively)
Sample Sentences: The music drowned out the shouts. / The enemy was drowned out in the flood.
Other Way to Say: Washed away / Silenced
47. Crush
Meaning: To kill by pressure
Sample Sentences: The giant crushed the car. / The building crushed the toy.
Other Way to Say: Smashed / Flattened
48. Disappear forever
Meaning: To die or vanish
Sample Sentences: The creature disappeared forever. / He disappeared forever in the cave.
Other Way to Say: Vanished / Gone
49. Fade away
Meaning: To slowly die or vanish
Sample Sentences: The ghost faded away. / He faded away in the story.
Other Way to Say: Disappeared / Left quietly
50. Break down
Meaning: To stop working, often leading to death (machines or bodies)
Sample Sentences: The robot broke down in battle. / His body broke down from the cold.
Other Way to Say: Stopped / Failed
51. Dismantle
Meaning: To take apart or kill (used for machines)
Sample Sentences: They dismantled the robot enemy. / The bomb squad dismantled the trap.
Other Way to Say: Took apart / Disarmed
52. Perish
Meaning: To die
Sample Sentences: Many perished in the fire. / The animal perished in the cold.
Other Way to Say: Died / Lost life
53. Collapse
Meaning: To fall and die or faint
Sample Sentences: The player collapsed after the race. / The old man collapsed suddenly.
Other Way to Say: Fell / Dropped
54. Flatten
Meaning: To kill by crushing
Sample Sentences: The monster flattened the car. / The truck flattened the boxes.
Other Way to Say: Crushed / Squashed
55. Give up the ghost
Meaning: To die
Sample Sentences: The engine gave up the ghost. / The knight gave up the ghost after battle.
Other Way to Say: Died / Stopped working
Multiple Choice Quiz: Idioms for Killing
1. What does “kill time” mean?
A) Try to hurt someone
B) Stay busy while waiting
C) Take a nap
2. You say someone “killed it” at the school play. What does that mean?
A) They made a big mess
B) They ruined the show
C) They did an amazing job
3. What does it mean to “kill two birds with one stone”?
A) Solve two problems with one action
B) Play with animals
C) Clean two bird cages
4. What does “dressed to kill” mean?
A) Wearing very nice clothes
B) Wearing all black
C) Wearing a Halloween costume
5. “Turn off the lights before bed,” Mom said. What idiom fits here?
A) Kill the lights
B) Die laughing
C) Dead tired
6. What does “drop-dead funny” mean?
A) Not funny at all
B) Very funny
C) Makes you sleepy
7. If your mom says, “Over my dead body,” what does she mean?
A) She’s okay with it
B) She’ll think about it
C) She won’t allow it
8. What does “make a killing” mean at a garage sale?
A) Sell a lot and earn good money
B) Break something expensive
C) Give away everything for free
9. What does “bored to death” mean?
A) Feeling very tired
B) Being super bored
C) Sleeping during the day
10. What does “be dead meat” mean after breaking a rule?
A) You are in trouble
B) You are tired
C) You are going to bed
11. If a snack is “to die for,” how does it taste?
A) Terrible
B) Just okay
C) Really, really good
12. What does “dead silent” mean during a test?
A) Lots of noise
B) Very quiet
C) Everyone’s whispering
Answer Key
- B. Stay busy while waiting
- C. They did an amazing job
- A. Solve two problems with one action
- A. Wearing very nice clothes
- A. Kill the lights
- B. Very funny
- C. She won’t allow it
- A. Sell a lot and earn good money
- B. Being super bored
- A. You are in trouble
- C. Really, really good
- B. Very quiet
Scoring Guide
- 12 Correct Answers: Love Idiom Master!
You really understand how these phrases work. Great job! - 8–11 Correct Answers: Well on your way to understanding love idioms.
You know a lot already. Keep learning! - 4–7 Correct Answers: Room for improvement, but you’re getting there!
You’re learning fast. Try reading the idioms again and practice more. - 0–3 Correct Answers: Let’s explore the world of love idioms together.
No worries these idioms take time. You’ll get better with practice.
Conclusion
Idioms about killing don’t always mean something harmful. Many are used in fun or simple ways to describe everyday things like doing a great job, waiting for something, or feeling very tired. By learning these idioms, you can understand more of what people say and even use them in your own writing or conversations.
The next time you hear someone say they “killed it” or were “bored to death,” you’ll know they don’t mean it literally. Idioms add style to language, and knowing what they mean helps you become a stronger and more confident speaker.
