What does murdering mean?
“Murdering” is the present participle of the verb “murder,” meaning to kill another person deliberately and unlawfully. The term has a strongly accusatory and commonly legal character: an accusation that someone murdered another person asserts both a deliberate killing and the unlawful nature of that act. In broader contexts, the verb can be used figuratively when extreme heat, neglect, or destructive treatment is said to be “murdering” crops, wildlife, or another valuable resource. It may also appear before a noun, as in “a murdering pace,” where it describes something abnormally rapid or destructive. The word belongs to a long-established English family that includes “murder,” “murderer,” and “murderous.” It is important to distinguish the word from “manslaughter,” which can involve an unlawful killing but does not necessarily imply the deliberate intention associated with murder. In legal and public discourse, the precise allegation matters greatly, so “murdering” is reserved for especially serious and intentional acts.
verbTo kill someone deliberately and unlawfully. It can also mean to cause someone's death figuratively, especially through extreme cruelty or destructive treatment.
- To kill a person deliberately and unlawfully.
- To cause the death of someone in an extremely cruel or destructive way.
- To spoil or ruin something so completely that it is treated as though it had been killed.
"The witnesses accused him of murdering his business partner."
"The police are investigating the circumstances in which the journalist was murdered."
"The relentless heat was murdering the crops in the lower field."
Murder has been an offence in English law since the Old English period, when it was called murther—a word now largely confined to phrases such as “the murthin’ hour.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does murdering come from?
The word comes from Old English “murther,” meaning murder or homicide, and was carried into Middle English in related forms. Its ultimate origin lies in a Germanic root associated with killing or violent death, and it has cognates in several Germanic languages. Modern English eventually settled on “murder,” from which the present form “murdering” is formed.
Related word forms
How murdering is actually used
In legal contexts, the word refers to a deliberate and unlawful killing and distinguishes the offence from other forms of homicide. Outside legal usage it may be used figuratively for extreme damage or ruin.
Easily confused with murdering
“Murder” names the act or offence of unlawfully killing another person, while “murdering” describes that act as a verb or an ongoing activity.
Murdering implies a deliberate, premeditated or otherwise aggravated unlawful killing, whereas manslaughter generally involves an unlawful killing without that degree of deliberate intent.