Hi liz,

Yes kill can work as a noun, defined in the OED as "an act of killing, especially of one animal by another: a lion has made a kill.

This is often used in warfare, not only to define human kills but also as in weapons "knocked out". In this sense you can talk of a "tank kill", a jet fighter that has made so many kills (i.e. other aircraft it has shot down) etc.. This is defined by the OED as: informal: an act of destroying or disabling an enemy aircraft, submarine etc.

Does this answer your question

If not, you can always clarify it a bit.

Good luck!

Álvaro :O) :O)

I'm not sure what you want to know.
kill can also be used as a noun as in "The lion closed in for the kill"
killing is another related noun: "to avoid the killing of innocent bystanders"
to kill is the verb "My shoes are killing me"
killing is the adjective: "The killing fields"
All the best,
Sarah.

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Note added at 1 hr 6 mins (2005-05-14 09:37:28 GMT)
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In your example, you are using the imperative form for orders:
Sit down. Kill him.
but kill here is a verb

To kill, - a verb. "The tiger killed the zebra."

Kill - a noun in its' own right. Means an act of killing, any kind. "The tiger made a kill."

Killing is the noun of the act of causing death.
"The killing of the elephant in the reserve was unlawful."

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Note added at 1 hr 12 mins (2005-05-14 09:43:25 GMT)
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killing - also an adjective

Since you have given war/soldiers as the context.

The word "kill" means "take life" or "put to death".

Related words are: murder and homicide (in the context of humans).

Kill has several other figurative meanings.

Kill a bill in parliament.... (ensure that it is not passed)
kill with kindness... (spoil)
don't kill yourself lifting them all at once ...(overexert)
overwork killed my enthusiasm... (dampened my enthusiasm)
kill time ... (pass time)
my feet are killing me... (giving me intense discomfort or pain)
the thick carpet killed the sound of his footstep...(muffled it)

Kill as a noun means:
the prey hunted by a carnivore: The tiger returned to its kill after four days.

Kill can also mean exorbitant profits earned in a business venture.

Kill appears in some proverbs too, like, kill two birds with one stone, meaning doubly benefitting.

If you provide more context we can be more specific.

or (n)- an act or instance of killing a. an animal shot in a hunt
b. an enemy airplane, sub-marine, or ship destroyed by military action
c. a return shot in a racket game that is too hard for an opponent to handle
syn. slay, murder, assassinate, dispatch, execute.