homicide
- 01 C1 Advanced
the act of one person killing another person, whether it was planned or an accident.
the killing of one human being by another. This is a broad legal category that includes both intentional murder and unintentional manslaughter.
Simple“The police are investigating the death as a homicide because of the suspicious injuries.”
In context“The coroner's report officially classified the cause of death as homicide, though the prosecutor has yet to determine the specific degree of the charge.”
UsageOften used as an uncountable noun for the general act or a countable noun for a specific case.
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
the special department in a police force that investigates killings.
the division or department within a law enforcement agency responsible for investigating deaths caused by others.
Simple“He spent ten years working in homicide before being promoted to captain.”
In context“Detectives from homicide arrived at the crime scene within minutes to secure the perimeter and begin their preliminary investigation.”
UsageUsually functions as an uncountable noun or a modifier, as in 'homicide detective'.
Synonymshomicide squadhomicide unit
“In 2024, femicide stopped being classified as an aggravated form of homicide and finally became a separate crime, punishable by 20 to 40 years in prison.”
“For him, the controversy over AI171 comes down to "just the difficulty we all have talking about homicide and suicide".”
From Old French homicide, from Latin homicīda (“man-slayer”) and homicīdium (“manslaughter”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.