homicide

/ˈhɒmɪsaɪd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhɑːmɪsaɪd/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhä-mə-ˌsīd ˈhō-/ (ame, mw)

homicide — noun

  • homicidesingular
  • homicidesplural

1. the deliberate crime of one person ending another person's life, treated as an o

1.名詞C1
釋義

the deliberate crime of one person ending another person's life, treated as an offence that the courts must decide upon.

例句

Detective Walid was assigned to investigate three homicides in the city last month.

countable plural usage for individual cases

The young driver was charged with homicide after the deadly crash on the highway.

collocation: charged with homicide

同義詞
  • murder

    everyday word for unlawful killing with intent; less formal than homicide

  • manslaughter

    killing without prior intention; a narrower legal category

  • killing

    neutral umbrella term; covers any death caused by a person, lawful or not

文法句型

a homicide

charged with homicide

用法筆記

More common in American English and in legal contexts; British media tend to use 'murder' or 'manslaughter' as everyday terms. Often appears with adjectives that describe the legal category (justifiable, vehicular) or the police process (unsolved, suspected).

常見錯誤

❌He did a homicide on his neighbour.
✅He committed a homicide against his neighbour.
💡the standard verb is 'commit', not 'do'.
❌The accident was a homicide.
✅The accident was ruled a homicide.
💡calling a death a homicide normally requires an official determination.

2. the section of a police force whose job is to look into killings — used as a sho

2.名詞C1
釋義

the section of a police force whose job is to look into killings — used as a short label for the team rather than the crime itself.

例句

Sana transferred from narcotics to homicide after eight long years on the drug squad.

transfer to homicide (department name)

Two detectives from homicide arrived at the apartment before sunrise on Tuesday morning.

detectives from homicide

同義詞

文法句型

Homicide [Division/Unit]

work in homicide

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: here 'homicide' refers to the police unit, not the crime. Often appears bare (without 'the') as a department label, e.g. 'call homicide', 'work in homicide', or in fixed names like 'Homicide Division'.

常見錯誤

❌She works in the homicide.
✅She works in homicide.' / 'She works in the Homicide Division.
💡drop the article when using it as a bare department label.