Murderer

//ˈmɜːdəɹə// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1
A person who commits murder.
"Neither does a great nation […] debate, with drivelling tears, and diabolical sympathies, whether it ought not piously to save, and nursingly cherish, the lives of its murderers."
2
a criminal who commits homicide (who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being) wordnet

Synonyms

apache assassin assassinator bloodletter bloodshedder bravo

Example

"The murderer was convicted and sentenced to life in prison."

Etymology

From Middle English murderere; equivalent to murder + -er.

Related phrases

axe murderer axe-murderer child murderer desk murderer mass murderer murderers' row self-murderer serial murderer

More for "murderer"

Synonyms Sentences Pronunciation Translate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation Browse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.