homicide
noun
ho·mi·cide
| \ ˈhä-mə-ˌsīd
, ˈhō-
\
, ˈhō-
\
Definition of homicide
1
: a person who kills another
2
: a killing of one human being by another
detectives investigating a homicide
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Synonyms for homicide
Synonyms
blood, foul play, murder, rubout, slaying
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Examples of homicide in a Sentence
The number of homicides increased last year.
He has been arrested for homicide.
Recent Examples on the Web
Harris was booked into San Francisco County Jail on suspicion of homicide and being a felon in possession of a firearm, police said. — Lauren Hernández, SFChronicle.com, "Concord man arrested in fatal San Francisco shooting," 13 Aug. 2019 He has been charged with homicide and terrorist acts. — Washington Post, "How an unarmed 65-year-old stopped a gunman from attacking a Norwegian mosque," 12 Aug. 2019 Opponents of gun rights, meanwhile, could pause to consider that gun homicides and other crimes have plummeted since the early ’90s. — Jonah Goldberg, National Review, "Putting America’s Problems in Perspective," 9 Aug. 2019 After all, the authors pointed out, just owning a gun is strongly associated with injury and death by firearm—suicide, homicide, and accident. — Adam Rogers, WIRED, "How to Reduce Gun Violence: Ask Some Scientists," 6 Aug. 2019 But the impact of red flag laws on homicides and mass shootings remains unclear. — NBC News, "Gun-seizure laws often have bipartisan support. But do they stop mass shootings?," 6 Aug. 2019 That year, national rates of gun homicides and violent gun crimes reached record highs, according to Pew Research Center. — Author: Derek Hawkins, Morgan Krakow, Anchorage Daily News, "A tragedy at Walmart, a store with a complex history of gun sales," 4 Aug. 2019 Rather than reduce crime, homicides and assaults spiked during the buyback. — Lacey Wallace, The Conversation, "Could a national gun buyback program reduce the 393 million guns on America’s streets?," 4 Aug. 2019 Their father, a 39-year-old veteran who served in the United States Army in Kuwait from October 2016 to March 2017, has been charged with two counts of manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and endangerment of a child. — Andrea Salcedo, New York Times, "‘Oh, Forgive Us!’: Heartbreak at Wake for Twins Who Died in Hot Car," 2 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'homicide.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for homicide
homicide
noun
English Language Learners Definition of homicide
chiefly US
: the act of killing another person
See the full definition for homicide in the English Language Learners Dictionary
homicide
noun
ho·mi·cide
| \ ˈhä-mə-ˌsīd
, ˈhō-mə-\
, ˈhō-mə-\
Kids Definition of homicide
: a killing of one human being by another
homicide
noun
ho·mi·cide
| \ ˈhäm-ə-ˌsīd
, ˈhō-mə-
\
, ˈhō-mə-
\
Medical Definition of homicide
1
: a person who kills another
2
: a killing of one human being by another — compare genocide
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homicide
noun
ho·mi·cide
| \ ˈhä-mə-ˌsīd, ˈhō-
\
\
Legal Definition of homicide
1
: a person who kills another
2
: the killing of one human being by another — compare manslaughter, murder
—
criminal homicide
: homicide committed by a person with a criminal state of mind (as intentionally, with premeditation, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence)
—
deliberate homicide
: homicide caused purposely and knowingly
—used in Montana
—
excusable homicide
: homicide that is committed by accident or misfortune by a person doing a lawful act by lawful means with usual and ordinary caution and without any unlawful intent and that is excused under the law
also
: justifiable homicide in this entry
—
felonious homicide
: homicide committed without justification
—
homicide by misadventure
: homicide that occurs as the result of an accident caused by a person doing a lawful act with no unlawful intent
—
justifiable homicide
: homicide that is committed in self-defense, in defense of another and especially a member of one's family or sometimes in defense of a residence, in preventing a felony especially involving great bodily harm, or in performing a legal duty and that is justified under the law
also
: excusable homicide in this entry