Meaning & use
serial murderer
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A person who kills several people in separate incidents over a period of time, usually following a repeated pattern.
Grammar: Countable: use 'a serial murderer' for one person and 'serial murderers' for more than one.
Patterns
- a serial murderer who kills someone
- be convicted as a serial murderer
- catch a serial murderer
Police finally caught the serial murderer after a decade-long investigation.
The court described him as a serial murderer who chose victims at random.
Detectives studied the files to see whether one serial murderer was behind all three cases.
nouncountablefigurative
Used figuratively for someone or something that repeatedly causes serious harm in a similar way.
Grammar: Figurative use, often with 'career' or 'corporate': it is not about real killing.
Patterns
- a serial murderer of something
- be called a serial murderer of something
Critics called the manager a serial murderer of good ideas.
The report labeled the policy a serial murderer of small businesses.
Word forms
| plural | serial murderers |
|---|
Common combinations
- convicted serial murderer
- He is a convicted serial murderer serving several life sentences.
- a suspected serial murderer
- The man in custody is a suspected serial murderer.
- hunt for a serial murderer
- The whole city was gripped by the hunt for a serial murderer.
- profile a serial murderer
- FBI agents tried to profile the serial murderer from witness reports.
- a serial murderer on the loose
- People were warned that a serial murderer was on the loose.
Synonyms and how they differ
- serial killer
- The everyday term for the same person; it is more common and slightly less formal than 'serial murderer'.
- mass murderer
- This means someone who kills many people at one time or in one place, not in separate incidents over time.
- murderer
- This is any person who commits murder; it says nothing about repeated killings.
Word family
Commonly confused: serial murderer or serial killer? serial murderer or mass murderer?
serial murderer vs serial killer
Same meaning, but 'serial killer' is the standard everyday phrase; 'serial murderer' sounds more formal and legal.
serial murderer vs mass murderer
A mass murderer kills many people in a single event, while a serial murderer kills in separate events over months or years.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'serial murderer' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Serial murderer' means someone who kills several people in separate incidents over time, so option A fits. Option B describes one event, which is a mass murderer, not a serial one. Option C is nonsense because the phrase is about killing people, not eating. Option D confuses the noun with 'serial', a story published in parts.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “serial murderer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.