灭口

滅口

mièkǒu

verb #11,041

Meanings

1 to silence (a witness)
2 to kill to prevent sb from divulging a secret

Characters

to extinguish; to destroy

Examples

凶手想灭口，所以又回来了。

Xiōngshǒu xiǎng mièkǒu, suǒyǐ yòu huílai le.

The killer wanted to silence the witness, so he came back.

他们怕泄密，决定杀人灭口。

Tāmen pà xièmì, juédìng shārén mièkǒu.

They feared a leak and decided to kill to silence them.

Tips

usage

灭口 specifically means killing someone to keep a secret. For simply silencing someone verbally, use 让...闭嘴.

Stroke Order

灭 miè

口 kǒu