- [uncountable, countable] the crime of killing somebody deliberately synonym homicide
- He was found guilty of murder.
- She has been charged with the attempted murder of her husband.
- Who is responsible for this brutal murder?
- to commit (a) murder
- He was arrested on suspicion of murder.
- a murder case/investigation/charge/trial
- The rebels were responsible for the mass murder of 400 civilians.
- the families of the murder victims
- What was the murder weapon?
- The play is a murder mystery.
Collocations CrimeCrimeCommitting a crimecompare manslaughter- commit a crime/a murder/a violent assault/a brutal killing/an armed robbery/fraud
- be involved in terrorism/a suspected arson attack/human trafficking
- engage/participate in criminal activity/illegal practices/acts of mindless vandalism
- steal somebody’s wallet/purse/(British English) mobile phone/(North American English) cell phone
- rob a bank/a person/a tourist
- break into/ (British English) burgle/ (North American English) burglarize a house/a home/an apartment
- hijack a plane/ship/bus
- smuggle drugs/weapons/arms
- traffic people/wildlife/narcotics/cocaine
- launder drug money (through something)
- forge documents/certificates/passports
- take/accept/pay somebody/offer (somebody) a bribe
- run a phishing/an email/an internet scam
- combat/fight crime/terrorism/corruption/drug trafficking
- prevent/stop credit-card fraud/child abuse/software piracy
- deter/stop criminals/burglars/thieves/shoplifters/vandals
- reduce/tackle/crack down on knife/gun/violent/street crime; (especially British English) antisocial behaviour
- foil a bank raid/a terrorist plot
- help/support/protect the victims of crime
- report a crime/a theft/a rape/an attack/(especially British English) an incident to the police
- witness the crime/attack/murder/incident
- investigate a murder/(especially North American English) a homicide/a burglary/a robbery/the alleged incident
- conduct/launch/pursue an investigation (into…); (especially British English) a police/murder inquiry
- investigate/reopen a criminal/murder case
- examine/investigate/find fingerprints at the crime scene/the scene of crime
- collect/gather forensic evidence
- uncover new evidence/a fraud/a scam/a plot/a conspiracy/political corruption/a cache of weapons
- describe/identify a suspect/the culprit/the perpetrator/the assailant/the attacker
- question/interrogate a suspect/witness
- solve/crack the case
Extra ExamplesTopics Crime and punishmentb1- He was convicted of the murder of a police officer.
- He committed the perfect murder and left no forensic evidence.
- She plays a detective investigating a double murder.
- He ordered the murder of his political opponents.
- He vowed to avenge his brother's murder.
- Her latest novel is a gripping murder mystery.
- It was a murder which shocked the nation.
- Nothing justifies murder.
- The city used to be the murder capital of the world.
- a city that has the highest murder rate in the US
- a verdict of wilful murder
- murders committed by terrorists
- new evidence that implicated her in the murder
- the wholesale murder of innocent citizens
- She had committed the murder the night before her thirtieth birthday.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- barbaric
- brutal
- grisly
- …
- carry out
- commit
- perpetrate
- …
- happen
- occur
- take place
- …
- victim
- suspect
- detective
- …
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- [uncountable] (informal) used to describe something that is difficult or unpleasant
- It's murder trying to get to the airport at this time of day.
- It was murder (= very busy and unpleasant) in the office today.
Word OriginOld English morthor, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch moord and German Mord, from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit mará ‘death’ and Latin mors; reinforced in Middle English by Old French murdre.
Idioms
See murder in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee murder in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishget away with murder
- (informal, often humorous) to do whatever you want without being stopped or punished
- They let their children get away with murder!
scream blue murder (British English)
(North American English scream bloody murder)
- to scream loudly and for a long time, especially in order to protest about something
Check pronunciation:
murder