VOCABULARY of DEATH

How many times have you been stumped trying to come up with clever ways to say how a character was injured, knocked out or killed? Let's face it, we've all been there, which is why I came up with my convenient “Vocabulary of Death.” Use it for inspiration the next time writer's block wraps its fearsome fingers around your brain…‌

 

ACID AND DROWNING

Bubble, blister, boil, burn, consume, corrode, crumble, damage, destroy, dissolve, disintegrate, decay, eat away/into/through, erode, immerse, inhale, liquify, scald, sear, sizzle, soak, submerge, wear away

 

BITING AND BLOOD-DRINKING

Ate, bit, bite, bolt down, breakfast, chew, chomp, chow down, chug, consume, crunch, demolish, devour, dine, dispose of, drink, eat, fang, feast, feed, gnaw, gobble, gorge, graze, gulp, guzzle, ingest, lunch, munch, nibble, nip, nosh, partake of, pig out on, polish off, put away, quaff, scarf, sip, snack, snap, swallow, swill, swig, sup, tear, tuck into

 

CRUSHING

Bang, bash, batter, beat, belt, bludgeon, bop, brain, break, bounce, bump, burst, bust, butt, clout, clobber, collide, crack, crease, crumple, crunch, crush, dent, flatten, force, fracture, fragment, grate, grind, hammer, hit, impact, kick, knock, mangle, mash, paste, pound, press, pry, pulp, pulverize, pummel, punch, ram, sap, slam, slap, smash, smack, smite, smoosh, smush, snap, sock, splinter, squash, squeeze, strike, thump, trample, thwack, wallop, whack, wham

 

CUTTING AND CLAWING

Bleed, carve, chop, claw, clip, crop, cube, cut, cut to pieces/to ribbons, dice, engrave, etch, fell, gash, graze, incise, knife, lacerate, mince, mow, nick, pincer, rake, rend, rip, saw, scratch, score, shred, slash, slice, slit, sliver, snip, split, strip, talon, tatter, tear, trim, whittle

 

DISEASE, MUTATION, AND RADIATION

Adulterate, befoul, consume, contaminate, corrupt, curse, debase, defile, doom, foul, infect, irradiate, mutate, ooze, poison, pollute, putrefy, shed, soil, spoil, sully, taint, taken over, tamper, zombify

 

FIRE, ELECTROCUTION, EXPLOSIONS, AND GUNS

Ablaze, aflame, alight, bag, bake, blacken, blast, blaze, blister, blow up, bomb, bombard, bonfire, brand, broil, burn, burst, candle, careen, char, charge, detonate, discharge, emit, fire, flame, flare, electrify, electro-cute, erupt, explode, fly, fly apart, glow, go up in flames, gun down, ignite, incinerate, jolt, juice, launch, let fly, let loose, let off, light, lit, mow down, open fire, pick off, ping, plug, pot shot, pump full of lead, ricochet, roar, roast, rocket, sear, scald, scorch, set off, shock, shoot, shoot down, shrapnel, singe, sizzle, smoke, smolder, snipe, streak, vaporize, went up in flames, whistle, whiz, whoosh, wing, zap, zip

 

KILLER AND VICTIM VOCALIZATIONS

Babble, bark, bawl, bay, bellow, blubber, blurt out, breathe, burble, cackle, call for help, call out, caterwaul, chant, cheer, choke, chortle, chuckle, cough, cry, cry out, curse, exclaim, exhale, gabble, gag, gargle, gasp, gibber, giggle, grate, groan, growl, grumble, grunt, guffaw, gulp, gurgle, holler, hoot, howl, inhale, intone, invoke, jabber, keen, lament, laugh, mewl, moan, mumble, murmur, mutter, purr, rasp, roar, sing, scream, screech, shout, shriek, shrill, sigh, snap, snarl, snicker, snigger, snivel, sob, squeak, strangle, tee-hee, titter, twitter, wail, weep, wheeze, whimper, whine, whisper, whistle, yell, yelp, yowl

 

MURDER AND EXECUTION

Annihilate, assassinate, bump off, butcher, croak, cut down, destroy, dispatch, dispose of, do away with, do in, eliminate, end, execute, exterminate, extinguish, finish, finish off, ice, kill, knock off, liquidate, massacre, murder, neutralize, polish off, put to death, rub out, slaughter, slay, snuff, take/end life, take out, terminate, waste, whack

 

PIERCING

Bayonet, bore through, chisel, drill through, feed, finger, force, fork, gouge, gore, harpoon, hole, horn, impale, inject, insert, jab, knife, lance, needle, penetrate, perforate, pierce, pin, pincushion, point, poke, plug, punch, prick, puncture, push, run through, skewer, spear, spike, stab, stick, sting, transfix

 

STRANGLING AND FAINTING

Asphyxiate, black out, choke, choke out, collapse, conk out, cut off air, cut off breath, dizzy, fall unconscious, gag, gasp, go out like a light, gurgle, faint, fight for air, fight for breath, hang, keel over, knock out, light-headed, loss of consciousness, pass out, smother, stifle, strangle, suffocate, swoon, throttle, unsteady, woozy

 

VIOLENT RELEASE OF BODILY FLUIDS AND GUTS

Barf, bleed, blob, bloom, blossom, boil, bubble, burst, cascade, deluge, discharge, downpour, drain, dribble, drip, drizzle, drool, drop, dump, eject, emanate, empty, escape, evacuate, excrete, explode, extract, exude, filter, flood, flow, flower, fountain, gag, gargle, geyser, glob, glop, gloop, gob, goop, gurgle, gush, heave, issue, jet, leak, ooze, outflow, outpour, plop, pool, pour, puddle, puke, radiate, rain, ralph, ran, release, remove, retch, river, rush, secrete, seep, shot, slime, sluice, slurp, spill, splash, spat, spatter, spew, splatter, spot, spout, spurt, storm, stream, surge, swam, sweat, tear, torrent, trickle, unleash, unload, upchuck, well out/well up from, void, vomit

 

VIOLENT REMOVAL OF BODY PARTS AND SKIN

Amputate, behead, came away/off, carve, chop, cut away/off, decapitate, disembowel, dismember, eviscerate, flay, flew away/off, flog, grab, gut, hack, harvest, hew, lash, lop off, pare, part, peel, pluck, pull, prune, pry, remove, rip, scourge, seize, sever, shave, shear, skin, slice, snatch, snip off, strip away, tear away/off, tug, whip, wrench, yank

 

‌— VOCABULARY WRITING EXERCISE ‌—‌

Create at least five exciting tags for each category using the vocabulary words (in any tense). Feel free to use multiple words and/or mix-n-match from different categories (e.g., for piercing: “He groaned as the spear punched past his ribs and pricked a lung”).