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Meaning & use

slain

adjective, verb·Advancedformalliterary

Last updated

UK/sleɪn/
US/sleɪn/

“slain” is a form of “slay”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. adjectivebefore a noun

    Killed violently, especially in a fight, war or attack.

    Grammar: Often used before the noun or as a past participle after be: the slain soldier, he was slain.

    Patterns

    • be slain by someone

    The slain officer was honored at a public funeral.

    Villagers mourned the slain heroes.

    The knight was slain in battle.

  2. verbtransitiveliterary

    Past participle of slay: killed someone or something violently.

    Grammar: Used after have or be with an object or agent: the dragon was slain.

    Patterns

    • slain by someone
    • have slain something

    The hero has slain the monster.

    The ruler was slain by his own guards.

    In the legend, the beast was slain at dawn.

Word forms

third person singularslays
past tenseslew
past participleslain
-ing formslaying

Common combinations

slain soldiers
A memorial honors the slain soldiers.
slain in battle
His father was slain in battle.
slain victim
Police identified the slain victim.
slain king
The poem mourns the slain king.
newly slain
The wolf stood over the newly slain deer.
slain dragon
The painting shows a knight beside a slain dragon.

Synonyms and how they differ

killed
Killed is the neutral, everyday word, while slain is more dramatic and used in news, history and legend.
murdered
Murdered says the death was unlawful and deliberate, whereas slain only says it was violent.
fallen
Fallen is a respectful word used for soldiers who died in war, and is gentler than slain.
butchered
Butchered adds horror at brutality, and is stronger than slain.

Opposites

alivelivingspared

Word family

slay verb
to kill violently, or informally to impress
slew verb
past tense of slay
slayer noun
someone who kills
slaying noun
a killing, mainly in news writing

Commonly confused: slain or slayed?

slain vs slayed

In the informal sense of impressing someone, slayed is sometimes used. For killing, the correct forms are slew and slain.

Practice

Which is the correct form: 'In the legend, the giant was ___ by a young shepherd.'

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