kill off

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Sure! Let’s break down the phrase “kill off.”

Definition

“Kill off” is a phrasal verb that means to eliminate or destroy someone or something completely. It often refers to a situation where many people or things are removed or made no longer exist.

Usage Instructions

• Verb Form: It is used as a verb, so you will often use it with a subject (who is doing the killing) and an object (what is being killed off).
• Common Contexts: You can use “kill off” in both literal and figurative contexts. For example, it can refer to actual deaths or the removal of something like a character in a story or a species in nature.

Examples

1. Literal Use: “The disease killed off many animals in the forest.”
2. Figurative Use: “The writer decided to kill off the main character in the story to create a dramatic twist.”

Advanced Usage

In more advanced contexts, “kill off” can be used in discussions about environmental issues (like species extinction), politics (like the elimination of a group), or in creative writing (like character development).

Word Variants

• Killing off: The present participle form, e.g., “They are killing off all the weeds in the garden.”
• Killed off: The past tense form, e.g., “They killed off the old policies last year.”

Different Meanings

While “kill off” generally refers to elimination, in a more figurative sense, it can also mean to end or stop something completely, like an idea or a trend.

Synonyms

• Eliminate
• Exterminate
• Eradicate
• Annihilate
• Wipe out

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

“Kill off” itself is a phrasal verb. Here are a few related idioms: - "Wipe out": This means to destroy completely, similar to “kill off.” - "Cut down": Often used in the context of reducing numbers or size, which can be synonymous in some contexts.

Summary

To “kill off” something means to get rid of it completely, whether that’s people, animals, ideas, or even characters in a story.

Academic

Verb

1. kill en masse; kill on a large scale; kill many
   • Hitler wanted to exterminate the Jews, Gypsies, Communists, and homosexuals of Europe

Synonyms

• exterminate