slain
slain — verb
- slainpresent simple I / you / we / they
- slains3rd person singular
- slaining-ing form
- slainedpast simple
1. the past-participle form of slay; used after have / has / had to describe a kill
the past-participle form of slay; used after have / has / had to describe a killing already done, after be in passive sentences, or before a noun to mark a person or animal that has been killed in a violent way.
Matthew had slain the wild boar before the rest of the hunters reached the clearing.
perfect-tense pattern: had slain + object
In the old legend, the dragon was slain by a young knight from the mountain village.
passive pattern: be slain by [agent]
The villagers buried the slain soldiers in a small field behind the church.
Folake wept beside the slain lion her brother had hunted that morning.
Every year the town holds a quiet ceremony for those slain in the long civil war.
- killed
Much more common and neutral; works in everyday speech where slain feels too literary.
- murdered
Used only when the killing of a person is unlawful and intentional.
- slaughtered
Suggests killing in large numbers or with brutality, often animals.
文法句型
have / has / had slain [object]
be slain (passive)
the slain [noun] (attributive)
用法筆記
Mostly appears in formal writing, news stories, history, religion, and fantasy — not in everyday conversation. Frequently passive or attributive; the agent (the killer) is often unnamed because the focus is on the victim.