19 Other Ways to Say Murder (With Examples)

The word murder carries a heavy legal and emotional weight, so writers often need a different word for the same act. Whether you are reporting on a trial, writing a crime novel, or drafting a legal summary, the right synonym keeps your meaning clear without repeating the same word. These other ways to say murder help you match your tone to the moment, from formal courtroom language to casual dialogue in fiction.

In this guide, you will find 19 handpicked alternatives to “murder,” each with a clear definition and an example sentence. Use them to write sharper news reports, essays, legal summaries, and crime fiction. You can also explore the synonym finder on infospebble.com for even more word choices across dozens of topics.

In this guide

1. Casual ways to say “murder”
2. Formal and professional alternatives
3. Vivid and descriptive words
4. Quick comparison: which word should you use?
5. Frequently asked questions

Casual ways to say “murder”

• 1. Killing – the general act of causing someone to die, without any legal detail. The report described the killing as part of an ongoing police investigation.
• 2. Slaying – a dramatic or literary word for killing, common in headlines and fiction. The novel opens with the slaying of a retired detective in a quiet village.
• 3. Taking out – slang for killing someone, often used in crime fiction and films. In the film, the rival gang plans on taking out the witness before the trial.
• 4. Doing in – informal slang for killing someone, usually in a secret or sudden way. The old gangster feared someone would do him in before he could testify.
• 5. Bumping off – slang for killing someone, often used in detective stories. The villain hires a stranger to bump off the blackmailer.
• 6. Rubbing out – slang for killing someone, mostly heard in crime novels and old films. The mob boss ordered his men to rub out the informer before dawn.

Formal and professional alternatives

• 7. Homicide – the legal term for the killing of one person by another. The charge was upgraded from assault to homicide after the victim died.
• 8. Manslaughter – the unlawful killing of a person without intent to kill. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received a reduced sentence.
• 9. Assassination – the deliberate killing of a famous or important person, often for political reasons. The assassination of the ambassador shocked the whole country.
• 10. Execution – the act of putting a person to death as a legal punishment. The court record lists the date of the execution in the case file.
• 11. Liquidation – the secret or organized killing of a person, often in spy or crime stories. The novel describes the liquidation of enemy agents during the war.
• 12. Extermination – the complete destruction of a group, used in historical and legal writing. The report accused the regime of the extermination of whole villages.
• 13. Elimination – a formal, indirect word for getting rid of someone by killing them. The spy thriller centers on the elimination of a double agent.

Vivid and descriptive words

• 14. Massacre – the killing of many people at once, usually in a cruel and unfair way. The history book describes the massacre as a turning point in the war.
• 15. Slaughter – the brutal killing of people, often in large numbers. The documentary covers the slaughter of civilians during the conflict.
• 16. Butchery – cruel and violent killing, often used to stress brutality in reporting. The editorial condemned the butchery that followed the invasion.
• 17. Carnage – the violent killing of large numbers of people, seen in the aftermath. The news report described the carnage left behind after the battle.
• 18. Bloodshed – killing and violence, often in war or civil conflict. The peace talks aimed to bring an end to years of bloodshed.
• 19. Dispatch – a quick and direct killing, a literary term that stresses speed. The novel says the spy dispatched the sentry before slipping away.

Quick comparison: which word should you use?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most formal synonym for “murder”?

“Homicide” is the safest formal choice, because it is the standard legal term for one person killing another. In a news report or a legal summary, write “homicide” when you need a neutral term, and reserve “murder” for cases where intent and unlawfulness are proven. Legal writers often pair these terms with the language of regret, covered in our guide to other ways to say “remorse”.

What is a casual way to say “murder” in fiction?

“Slaying,” “taking out,” and “doing in” all sound natural in crime fiction dialogue. A dictionary definition of murder covers the formal legal meaning, but in a novel, “slaying” adds drama and “taking out” sounds like natural spoken English. Save the slang for dialogue and narration, and keep formal terms for police reports inside the story.

Can I use “manslaughter” instead of “murder”?

No, because they describe different crimes. Manslaughter means killing someone without intent, while murder means killing with intent and malice. Swapping them changes the legal meaning, so use “manslaughter” only when the killing was unintentional. For related vocabulary, see our guides to other ways to say “accident” and other ways to say “abuse of power”.

Final thoughts

The right synonym for “murder” depends on your audience and tone. Keep casual words like “taking out” for fiction dialogue, lean on “homicide” and “manslaughter” in legal and news writing, and save vivid words like “massacre” for moments that deserve gravity. Save this guide for your next essay, report, or novel, and you will never stare at a bland sentence again. Bookmark the infospebble.com homepage to find more word guides that keep your writing fresh and precise.