thrill kill

English

Alternative forms

• thrill killing

Pronunciation

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Noun

thrill kill (plural thrill kills)

1. (idiomatic) An act of murder motivated solely by the murderer's desire to have a very exciting experience.
   • 1988 March 9, Sheridan R. Hansen, “Police arrest 2 Utah Count teenagers for questioning in Las Vegas shooting”, in Deseret News, retrieved 17 May 2013, page B3:

     "It was a thrill kill. Robbery was an afterthought. This is one of the most senseless murders we've had down there in years."

   • 2012 April 12, “Supreme Court Hears Appeal of Colin Koehler's Life Sentence”, in WABI TV, retrieved 17 May 2013:

     "[T]his essentially was a killing for no reason, a thrill kill. . . ," said Attorney Donald Macomber.

2. (attributive, usually hyphenated) Of, pertaining to, or being such an act of murder.
   • 2007 September 23, David Bowman, “Torchlit Crit”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     We all know that plenty of kids took to Route 66 after reading “On the Road,” but few juveniles committed thrill-kill murders after paging through “Crime and Punishment.”

Derived terms

• thrill killer

References

• “thrill kill”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.