killed outright

kill outright

To kill (a person or animal) immediately or instantly. A noun or pronoun can be used between "kill" and "outright." The trap is designed to kill outright so as to cause as little pain to the animal as possible. The poison doesn't kill you outright. Instead, it slowly works its way through your body, causing organs to shut down as it goes. He was killed outright by the force of the impact.
See also: kill, outright
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

killed outright

killed immediately. The driver was killed outright in the accident. Twenty people were killed outright in the explosion.
See also: killed, outright
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • kill outright
  • outright
  • killed off
  • kill off
  • be in at the kill
  • kill one to warn a hundred
  • warn
  • have (some) time to kill
  • have time to kill
  • (one) will kill (someone)
References in classic literature
Shuan and five more were either killed outright or thoroughly disabled; but of these, two fell by my hand, the two that came by the skylight.
"No soft words with me, for I know you, lying rabble," said Don Quixote, and without waiting for a reply he spurred Rocinante and with levelled lance charged the first friar with such fury and determination, that, if the friar had not flung himself off the mule, he would have brought him to the ground against his will, and sore wounded, if not killed outright. The second brother, seeing how his comrade was treated, drove his heels into his castle of a mule and made off across the country faster than the wind.
No less than five of the Sheriff's men were killed outright, and a dozen others injured; while four of Robin's men were bleeding from severe flesh cuts.
But the first was too good a marksman to miss his aim; for as the savages kept near one another, a little behind in a line, he fired, and hit two of them directly; the foremost was killed outright, being shot in the head; the second, which was the runaway Indian, was shot through the body, and fell, but was not quite dead; and the third had a little scratch in the shoulder, perhaps by the same ball that went through the body of the second; and being dreadfully frightened, though not so much hurt, sat down upon the ground, screaming and yelling in a hideous manner.
"I'm sure any girl might rather be killed outright!"
Peckham have shown that the sting of the wasp is NOT UNERRING, as Fabre alleges, that the number of stings is NOT CONSTANT, that sometimes the caterpillar is NOT PARALYZED, and sometimes it is KILLED OUTRIGHT, and that THE DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES DO NOT APPARENTLY MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE TO THE LARVA, which is not injured by slight movements of the caterpillar, nor by consuming food decomposed rather than fresh caterpillar."
He might not have had the time to get me killed outright, but he would have had the time to get me gagged and thrown in a dungeon.
Two cars swerved to avoid her before she was hit by a LandRover Defender and killed outright in the accident at 11pm on February 20.
Fourteen people died, 13 were killed outright, while the death of another man four months later was attributed to his injuries.
Gabis was killed outright due to gunshot wounds in the neck and shoulder.
The three boys were killed outright. Yesterday, tributes and flowers were piled high at the scene and grieving family and friends paid their respects.
Three soldiers of the Blues & Royals were killed outright, and another, their standard-bearer, died from his wounds three days later.
The inquest in Stourport heard that he was killed outright on the A422 near Upton Snodbury on March 16.
A 2015 survey said 76% of shooters were unable to gauge distance, meaning 40% of birds were wounded rather than killed outright.
Two of the baby swans were killed outright but three survived.