Phrase guide

targeted killing

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The intentional killing by a government or its agents of a civilian or "unlawful combatant" who is not in that government's custody, and who is taking part in an armed conflict or terrorism, whether by bearing arms or otherwise, and is thus regarded by the government as having lost the immunity from being targeted that he or she would otherwise have under the Geneva Conventions.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, euphemistic, uncountable

Topics: government, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 定點清除 /定点清除 (dìngdiǎn qīngchú) — intentional killing
  • German: gezielte Tötung — intentional killing
  • Hebrew: סיכול ממוקד — intentional killing
  • Spanish: asesinato selectivo — intentional killing