Word
slay
US/ˈsɫeɪ/
UK/slˈeɪ/
Irregular verb
Forms
Infinitive
slay
Past
slew
Past participle
slain
Definition
v. to do something exceptionally well or look very impressive. You use this when someone succeeds at something or has a great outfit.
v. to perform exceptionally well or to look impressively stylish. In modern usage, it is often used intransitively to express admiration for someone's success or appearance.
Examples
“You absolutely slay in that dress!”
“She worked hard on her presentation and completely managed to slay the audience with her confidence.”
Examples
simple
“You absolutely slay in that dress!”
contextual
“She worked hard on her presentation and completely managed to slay the audience with her confidence.”
Usage
In its slang sense, it is frequently used as an exclamation or an intransitive verb to denote excellence.
Pitfall
She slayed the dragon (modern slang context)
She slew the dragon / She slayed that performance
The irregular past tense 'slew' is used for the literal meaning of killing, while the regular 'slayed' is standard for the modern slang meaning of succeeding.
Real-World Examples
“One of his current favourite words is "eslei", Spanglish for "slay" – as in, to do something extremely well.” Etymology
From Middle English slayn, from Old English slēan (“to hit, punch, strike; to kill”), from Proto-West Germanic slahan, from Proto-Germanic slahaną (“to hit, strike; to kill”), from Proto-Indo-European *slak- (“to hit, strike, throw”). Cognates Cognate with Alemannic German schlaa (“to beat, hit”), Central Franconian schlage, schlon, schloon (“to beat, hit, strike”), Dutch and Low German slaan (“to beat, hit, strike”), German schlagen, schlahen, schlahn (“to beat, hit, strike”), Luxembourgish schloen (“to beat, defeat, hit”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish slå (“to beat, hit, strike”), Faroese sláa (“to beat, strike”), Icelandic slá (“to hit, strike”), Gothic 𐍃𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌰𐌽 (slahan, “to hit, smite, strike”). Related to slaughter, onslaught.
See sley
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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