ENGLISH
REFERENCE

murders

n. countable
B1 Intermediate US //ˈmɝdɝz// UK //mˈɜːdəz// mur·ders

n. the crimes of killing people on purpose. You use this word when someone ends another person's life intentionally and illegally.

n. the unlawful and intentional killings of human beings by other human beings. Often used in the plural to refer to a series of specific criminal incidents or a high crime rate.


SIMPLE

The police are investigating several murders in the city.

CONTEXTUAL

The detective spent his entire career solving cold-case murders that had remained a mystery for decades.

COMPLEX

While the overall crime rate has plummeted, the recent spike in unsolved murders has put significant pressure on the local administration to reform the police department.

Synonyms
Usage

As a plural noun, it refers to multiple distinct acts of homicide.

© 2026 English Reference