mindmap root((杀死)) kill merely states the fact of death by an agency of some sort in some manner: frost ~ed the plants. 霜冻 形近词froth泡沫 slay is a chiefly literary term implying a killing marked by deliberateness and violence: ~ thousands of the enemy. murder specifically implies a killing with stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility: convicted of ~ing his parents. assassinate applies to a deliberate killing openly or secretly often for impersonal or political motives: terrorists ~d the Senator. dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death: ~ed the sentry with a single stab. execute stresses a putting to death as a legal penalty: to be ~d by firing squad at dawn.