killer

noun

1. 1

   One who or that which kills.

   There’s a killer on the loose.

   My cat is a habitual bird killer.

   Carbon monoxide is a silent killer.

2. 2

   figurativeThat which causes stress or is extremely difficult, especially that which may cause failure at a task.

   That test was a killer.

   The final hill in the race course was a killer.

3. 3

   figurativeSomething that is so far ahead of its competition that it effectively kills off that competition.

   Digital streaming platforms are CD killers.

4. 4

   The killer whale.

   This skull, which has all the appearance of being that of a full-grown animal, is just one quarter the length and breadth of the skull of the adult common Killer (Orca gladiator).

   Fig. 188.—Grampus or Killer, Orca gladiator. (Flower, art. “Mammalia,” ‘Encyclopædia Britannica.’)

   We once saw an attack made by three killers upon a cow whale and her calf, in a lagoon on the coast of California in the spring of 1858.

   Few animals known to man possess the savage and murderous nature of the small whale-like animals known as killers or orcas. They pass under various names as black fish, killer, orca, kill fish, sea tiger, and deserve all the titles.

5. 5

   figurativeA remarkably impressive person or thing.

   The head of the Environmental Protection Agency quakes with mirth at his own punch line. Grimaldi chuckles through his teeth. “A killer, Tom, an absolute killer.”

   Picture perfect, you don't need no filter / Gorgeous, make 'em drop dead, you're a killer

6. 6

   A knockout form of darts or pool involving several players.

7. 7

   A club used for killing fish.

8. 8

   A particularly heavy type of handstamp, or portion of one, often obscuring a large part of the postage stamp.

9. 9

   Synonym of virama (“kind of diacritical mark”).

   For example, although the ‘vowel killer’ diacritic may be called a ‘pulli’ in Tamil, it is still referred to by the Unicode character names as a ‘virama’.

   Thai words that have been borrowed from Sanskrit, Pali and English usually try to retain as much of the original spelling as possible; as this will often produce pronunciations that are impossible or misleading, a ‘killer’ symbol is placed above the redundant consonant to indicate that it may be ignored

   Sometimes the ‘killer’ sign, called kaaran in Thai, cancels out not only the consonant above which it appears, but also the one immediately preceding it.

adjective

1. 1

   slangExcellent, very good, cool.

   killer feature

   killer view

   It all says that Elephant's Memory is a killer band.

   This is followed by a recipe for that very killer dish: "Eat and remember this, the greediest of all Popes" is their merry exhortation.

2. 2

   Causing death, destruction, or obliteration.

   killer bee

   killer robot

3. 3

   Distressing, uncomfortable.

   I had a killer headache this morning.

Forms

plural

killers

comparative

more killer

superlative

most killer