manslaughter

/ˌmænˈslɔdər/

/ˈmænslɔtə/

Other forms: manslaughters

Manslaughter means killing someone without planning it beforehand. A defendant who's convicted of manslaughter is guilty of a serious crime, though less serious than murder.

Someone who kills another person accidentally or impulsively might be accused of manslaughter, a legal term that describes a killing which is not quite deliberate murder. Manslaughter is extremely serious, although it's usually punished less harshly than murder. Though the word laughter can be seen in manslaughter, it's no laughing matter — and it rhymes with daughter.

Definitions of manslaughter

1. noun

   (legal) the act of causing someone's death through reckless or illegal actions but without planning or intending to
   types:

   chance-medley

   an unpremeditated killing of a human being in self defense

   type of:

   homicide

   the killing of a human being by another human being