TOP

Definition of murder noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

      

    murder

     noun
    noun
    NAmE//ˈmərdər//
     
     
    jump to other results
  1. 1[uncountable, countable] the crime of killing someone deliberately synonym homicide He was found guilty of murder. She has been charged with the attempted murder of her husband. to commit (a) murder a murder case/investigation/trial The rebels were responsible for the mass murder of 400 civilians. What was the murder weapon? The play is a murder mystery. Topic CollocationsCrimecommitting a crime
    • commit a crime/a murder/a violent assault/a brutal killing/an armed robbery/fraud/perjury
    • be involved in terrorism/a suspected arson attack/human smuggling/human trafficking
    • engage/participate in criminal activity/illegal practices/acts of mindless vandalism
    • steal somebody's wallet/purse/watch/cell phone
    • rob a bank/a person/a tourist
    • break into/burglarize a house/a home/an apartment/an office
    • hijack a plane/ship/bus
    • smuggle drugs/weapons/arms/people/immigrants
    • launder (drug) money (through something)
    • forge documents/certificates/passports
    • take/accept/pay somebody/offer (somebody) a bribe
    • run a phishing scam/an e-mail scam/an Internet scam
    fighting crime
    • combat/fight crime/terrorism/drug trafficking/corruption
    • prevent/stop credit-card fraud/child abuse/software piracy
    • deter/stop criminals/burglars/thieves/shoplifters/vandals
    • reduce/tackle/crack down on gun/violent/street/property crime
    • foil a bank robbery/a terrorist plot
    • help/support/protect the victims of crime
    investigating crime
    • report a crime/a theft/a rape/an attack/an incident to the police
    • witness a crime/an attack/a murder/an incident
    • investigate a murder/a homicide/a burglary/a robbery/the alleged incident
    • conduct/launch/pursue/open an investigation (into…)
    • investigate/reopen a criminal/murder case
    • examine/investigate/find fingerprints at the crime scene/the scene of crime
    • collect/gather forensic evidence/physical evidence
    • uncover/discover 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
    • ⇨ more collocations at
    compare manslaughter
  2. 2[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.
  3. Idioms
    get away with murder (informal) (often humorous)
     
    jump to other results
    to do whatever you want without being stopped or punished
    scream bloody murder
     
    jump to other results
    to scream loudly and for a long time, especially in order to protest about something
See murder in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary