murder
Word family
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++mur·der1 /ˈmɜːdə $ ˈmɜːrdər/ ●●● S3 W2 noun 1 [countable, uncountable]SCCKILL the crime of deliberately killing someone 谋杀，凶杀；谋杀罪 → manslaughter On the night the murder was committed, he was out of the country. 凶案发生当晚他不在国内。 The man accused of her murder will appear in court today. 被指控谋杀她的那名男子将于今天出庭。murder of the brutal murder of a child 对一名儿童的残忍谋杀 He was found guilty of attempted murder. 他被判谋杀未遂。 She was charged with two counts of first degree murder. 她被控犯有两项一级谋杀罪。 The mother of the murder victim wept in court. 凶案死者的母亲在法庭上痛哭。 Police are searching for the murder weapon. 警方在寻找杀人凶器。 Detectives have launched a murder investigation. 警方探员已经启动凶杀案调查。► see thesaurus at crime2 get away with murder informalPUNISH to do anything you want, even things that are wrong, without being punished 犯了大错而不受惩罚，为所欲为 She lets those kids get away with murder. 她听任那些孩子为所欲为。3 be murder spokenDIFFICULT to be very difficult or unpleasant 很难办；令人很不快 It’s murder doing the shopping on Saturdays. 星期六购物真要命。 The traffic was murder this morning. 今天早上的交通状况太糟糕了。4 be murder on something spoken to harm or damage something else 伤害某物；毁坏某物 These new shoes are murder on my feet. 这双新鞋把我的脚害惨了。 → scream blue murder at scream1(1)n COLLOCATIONSverbscommit (a) murder (=murder someone)Whoever had committed these murders had planned them carefully.be guilty of murderThey had wished him dead, but that did not make them guilty of murder.accuse somebody of murder (=say that you think someone murdered a person)Dillon was accused of both murders.deny murder (=say that you did not kill someone)The four accused men all deny murder.charge somebody with murder (=officially say that someone may be guilty of murder)Is there enough evidence to charge him with murder?investigate a murderThe police are investigating the murder of a homeless man.solve a murder (=find out who murdered someone)The murder has never been solved.adjectivesa brutal/horrific murder (=violent and cruel)He is wanted for the brutal murder of a young girl.cold-blooded murder (=not caused by strong emotions)He didn’t kill his wife in a moment of anger; it was cold-blooded murder.premeditated murder (=planned before it happens)He was charged with premeditated murder.an unsolved murder (=for which the killer has never been found)Police questioned the man about two unsolved murders.attempted murder (=the crime of trying to kill someone)I am arresting you for attempted murder.first-degree murder (also murder in the first degree) American English (=the most serious type of murder under U.S. law)If convicted of first-degree murder, he will spend the rest of his life in prison.mass murder (=of a large number of people)Hitler was responsible for the largest mass murder in history.murder + NOUNa murder victim (=someone who has been murdered)The family of the murder victim pleaded for information to find the killer.a murder weapon (=the gun, knife etc used to murder someone)Have they found the murder weapon?a murder scene (=where a murder happened)His blood matched the blood found at the murder scene.a murder investigationA murder investigation is underway after a woman’s body was found in a tunnel.a murder charge (=an official statement saying someone may be guilty of murder)He has escaped a murder charge, but his career is finished.phrasesa motive for murder (=a reason to kill someone)Police believe the motive for the murders was robbery.Examples from the Corpus
murder• He was suspected of as many as 44 murders.• He was charged with attempted murder and found guilty.• a series of brutal murders• The incidence of violent crimes -- murder, rape, and assault -- has increased in inner city areas.• Why would a double murder in Cologne have been passed to counter-intelligence?• Curtis's husband has been charged with her murder.• a five-month murder trial• There had been two more murders.• If convicted of murder and one additional charge, Davis could be sentenced to death.• Short of murder, whatever occurred between husband and wife was not considered by Locke to be of public concern.• New York paid tribute to the thousands of innocent people murdered on September 11th.• They joined Gundovald after Chilperic's murder in 584.• Ronny Jones was found guilty of the murder of a 15 year old girl.• The gun was found five miles from where the murder was committed.• In the first 10 months of the year, the murder rate fell by 17. 3 percent from last year.• The murder victim has not yet been identified.murder ... committed• He would strip the state of its natural right to adjudicate a murder committed within its boundaries.• His indictment lists 29 individual murders committed between June and October 1992.murder2 ●●● W3 verb [transitive] 1 SCCKILLto kill someone deliberately and illegally 谋杀；杀害 He was convicted of murdering a policeman. 他被判谋杀一名警察的罪名成立。 Thousands of civilians were brutally murdered during the civil war. 成千上万的平民在内战中遭到残杀。 the murdered man 被害男子► see thesaurus at kill2 informalDO BADLY to spoil a song, play etc by performing it very badly 糟蹋〔歌曲、剧本等，指表演拙劣〕 It’s a good song, but they murdered it. 那是一首很好的歌曲，但被他们唱砸了。3 somebody will murder you spokenTELL somebody OFF used to tell someone that another person will be very angry with them 某人会宰了你〔表示某人会很生气〕 Your dad’ll murder you when he hears about it. 要是你爸听说这事，他会宰了你。4. I could murder a beer/pizza etc British English spokenHUNGRY/WANT TO EATTHIRSTY used to say that you are very hungry or thirsty and want a particular food or drink 我很想喝一杯啤酒/吃一张比萨饼等5 informalBEAT/DEFEAT to defeat someone completely 彻底击败〔某人〕 They murdered us in the final. 在决赛中他们把我们打得落花流水。→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
murder• On his order, a million people were brutally murdered.• The next morning, another black who was allegedly part of the ambush party was brought to the same spot and murdered.• Your husband, Lady Isabella, had secrets - that is why he was murdered.• The girl had been raped and murdered.• The confessor was murdered and Dymphna was beheaded for reftising to return home.• She was murdered before she could call for help.• Read in studio An inquest has opened on a young girl, who it's alleged was murdered by her father.• One of the country's top judges has been murdered by the Mafia.• The latent thought is the notion that Gloucester may be plotting to murder him - an idea too horrifying to contemplate.• Wilson is accused of murdering his daughter and her boyfriend.• The opening act murdered "Love is All Around."• the murdered manOrigin murder1 Partly from Old English morthor, partly from Old French murdremur·der1 noun →n COLLOCATIONS1murder2 verbLDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable
Corpus deliberately the killing crime someone of
murder
mur‧der1 S3 W2 /ˈmɜːdə $ ˈmɜːrdər/ 
noun
On the night the murder was committed, he was out of the country.
The man accused of her murder will appear in court today.
murder of
the brutal murder of a child
He was found guilty of attempted murder.
She was charged with two counts of first degree murder.
The mother of the murder victim wept in court.
Police are searching for the murder weapon.
Detectives have launched a murder investigation.
2. get away with murder informal to do anything you want, even things that are wrong, without being punished:
She lets those kids get away with murder.
3. be murder spoken to be very difficult or unpleasant:
It’s murder doing the shopping on Saturdays.
The traffic was murder this morning.
4. be murder on something spoken to harm or damage something else:
These new shoes are murder on my feet.
⇨ scream blue murder at scream1(1)
■ verbs
▪commit (a) murder (=murder someone) Whoever had committed these murders had planned them carefully.
▪be guilty of murder They had wished him dead, but that did not make them guilty of murder.
▪accuse somebody of murder (=say that you think someone murdered a person) Dillon was accused of both murders.
▪deny murder (=say that you did not kill someone) The four accused men all deny murder.
▪charge somebody with murder (=officially say that someone may be guilty of murder) Is there enough evidence to charge him with murder?
▪investigate a murder The police are investigating the murder of a homeless man.
▪solve a murder (=find out who murdered someone) The murder has never been solved.
■ adjectives
▪a brutal/horrific murder (=violent and cruel) He is wanted for the brutal murder of a young girl.
▪cold-blooded murder (=not caused by strong emotions) He didn’t kill his wife in a moment of anger; it was cold-blooded murder.
▪premeditated murder (=planned before it happens) He was charged with premeditated murder.
▪an unsolved murder (=for which the killer has never been found) Police questioned the man about two unsolved murders.
▪attempted murder (=the crime of trying to kill someone) I am arresting you for attempted murder.
▪first-degree murder (also murder in the first degree ) American English (=the most serious type of murder under U.S. law) If convicted of first-degree murder, he will spend the rest of his life in prison.
▪mass murder (=of a large number of people) Hitler was responsible for the largest mass murder in history.
■ murder + NOUN
▪a murder victim (=someone who has been murdered) The family of the murder victim pleaded for information to find the killer.
▪a murder weapon (=the gun, knife etc used to murder someone) Have they found the murder weapon?
▪a murder scene (=where a murder happened) His blood matched the blood found at the murder scene.
▪a murder investigation A murder investigation is underway after a woman’s body was found in a tunnel.
▪a murder charge (=an official statement saying someone may be guilty of murder) He has escaped a murder charge, but his career is finished.
■ phrases
▪a motive for murder (=a reason to kill someone) Police believe the motive for the murders was robbery.
■ violent crimes
▪assault noun [uncountable and countable] the crime of physically attacking someone: He was arrested for an assault on a policeman.
▪mugging noun [uncountable and countable] the crime of attacking and robbing someone in a public place: Muggings usually happen at night.
▪murder noun [uncountable and countable] the crime of deliberately killing someone: He is accused of the murder of five women.
▪homicide noun [uncountable and countable] especially American English law murder: Homicide rates are rising fastest amongst 15 to19-year-olds.
▪rape noun [uncountable and countable] the crime of forcing someone to have sex: In most cases of rape, the victim knows her attacker.
murder2 verb [transitive]1. to kill someone deliberately and illegally:
He was convicted of murdering a policeman.
Thousands of civilians were brutally murdered during the civil war.
the murdered man
2. informal to spoil a song, play etc by performing it very badly:
It’s a good song, but they murdered it.
3. somebody will murder you spoken used to tell someone that another person will be very angry with them:
Your dad’ll murder you when he hears about it.
4. I could murder a beer/pizza etc British English spoken used to say that you are very hungry or thirsty and want a particular food or drink
5. informal to defeat someone completely:
They murdered us in the final.
▪ kill to make someone die: The driver and his passenger were killed in the crash. | He was killed by rival gang members.
▪murder to deliberately kill someone – used when talking about this as a crime: He was convicted of murdering his wife.
▪commit manslaughter to kill someone without intending to – used when talking about this as a crime: The court ruled that the guard had committed manslaughter.
▪assassinate to deliberately kill an important person, especially a politician: He was part of a plot to assassinate Hitler.
▪slay to kill someone or something in a violent way – used in newspaper reports and also in old stories: Two teenagers were slain in the shootings. | St. George slew the dragon. | The king was slain at the battle of Hastings.
▪execute formal (also put somebody to death ) to kill someone as a punishment for a crime: McVeigh, who killed 168 people in a bombing attack, was executed by lethal injection.
▪eliminate to kill someone in order to prevent them from causing trouble: a ruthless dictator who eliminated all his rivals
▪take somebody out informal to kill someone in order to get rid of them, especially an enemy or someone who is causing trouble for you: US forces used air strikes to take out the enemy positions. | One of the other drug dealers may have decided to take him out.
▪bump somebody off humorous informal to kill someone: He was so irritating I felt like bumping him off myself.
▪do away with somebody informal to kill someone: The settlers in Jamestown had been done away with, but no one knew how.
| I |
noun Origin: Partly from Old English morthor, partly from Old French murdre
1. [uncountable and countable] the crime of deliberately killing someone ⇨ manslaughter: murder of
2. get away with murder informal to do anything you want, even things that are wrong, without being punished:
3. be murder spoken to be very difficult or unpleasant:
4. be murder on something spoken to harm or damage something else:
⇨ scream blue murder at scream1(1)
| COLLOCATIONS |
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
■ adjectives
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
■ murder + NOUN
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
■ phrases
▪
| THESAURUS |
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
| II |
verb [transitive]1. to kill someone deliberately and illegally: 2. informal to spoil a song, play etc by performing it very badly:
3. somebody will murder you spoken used to tell someone that another person will be very angry with them:
4. I could murder a beer/pizza etc British English spoken used to say that you are very hungry or thirsty and want a particular food or drink
5. informal to defeat someone completely:
| THESAURUS |
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
Committing a crime 犯罪
commit a crime/a murder/a violent assault/a brutal killing/an armed robbery/fraud犯罪／谋杀罪／暴力侵犯他人身体罪／残杀罪／持械抢劫罪／诈骗罪 be involved in terrorism/a suspected arson attack/people smuggling/human trafficking参与恐怖主义活动；涉嫌纵火袭击；参与人口走私／人口贩卖 engage/participate in criminal activity/illegal practices/acts of mindless vandalism参与犯罪活动／非法活动／愚昧的故意毁坏他人财产的行为 steal sb's wallet/purse/( mobile phone/BrE ( cell phoneNAmE 偷某人的钱包／手机 rob a bank/a person/a tourist抢劫银行／他人／游客 break into/ ( BrE burgle/ ( NAmE burglarize a house/a home/an apartment入室盗窃 hijack a plane/ship/bus劫持飞机／轮船／公共汽车 smuggle drugs/weapons/arms/immigrants走私毒品／武器／军火；偷运移民 launder drug money (through sth)（通过…）洗毒资 forge documents/certificates/passports伪造文件／证件／护照 take/accept/pay sb/offer (sb) a bribe索取／收受贿赂；向（某人）行贿 run a phishing/an email/an Internet scam进行网络钓鱼／电子邮件／互联网诈骗
Fighting crime 打击犯罪
combat/fight crime/terrorism/corruption/drug trafficking打击犯罪／恐怖主义／腐败／贩毒 prevent/stop credit-card fraud/child abuse/software piracy防止／阻止信用卡诈骗／虐待儿童／软件盗版 deter/stop criminals/burglars/thieves/shoplifters/vandals威慑／阻止犯罪分子／入室盗窃者／小偷／商店扒手／故意破坏公物者 reduce/tackle/crack down on knife/gun/violent/street crime/( antisocial behaviourespecially
BrE 减少／处理／严厉打击持刀／持枪／暴力／街头犯罪／反社会行为 foil a bank raid/a terrorist plot挫败一起银行抢劫案／一次恐怖分子的阴谋 help/support/protect the victims of crime帮助／支持／保护犯罪活动的受害者
Investigating crime 调查犯罪活动
report a crime/a theft/a rape/an attack/( an incident to the policeespecially
BrE 向警方举报不法行为／偷窃案／强奸案／袭击事件／暴力事件 witness the crime/attack/murder/incident目击犯罪／袭击／谋杀／暴力事件 investigate a murder/( a homicide/a burglary/a robbery/the alleged incidentespecially
NAmE 调查谋杀案／蓄意杀人案／入室盗窃案／抢劫案／涉嫌的暴力事件 conduct/launch/pursue an investigation (into…)/( a police/murder inquiryespecially
BrE 进行／开始／继续（对…的）调查／警方调查／谋杀案调查 investigate/reopen a criminal/murder case调查／重新审理犯罪／谋杀案件 examine/investigate/find fingerprints at the crime scene/the scene of crime仔细检查／调查／查找犯罪现场的指纹 collect/gather forensic evidence收集法医证据 uncover new evidence/a fraud/a scam/a plot/a conspiracy/political corruption/a cache of weapons发现新证据／诈骗／欺诈／密谋／阴谋／政治腐败／私藏武器 describe/identify a suspect/the culprit/the perpetrator/the assailant/the attacker描述／指认嫌疑犯／罪犯／作恶者／攻击者／袭击者 question/interrogate a suspect/witness询问嫌疑人／目击证人 solve/crack the case破案
often
especially