murder will out

proverb

A murderer will always be discovered.

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Meanings

proverb
  1. A murderer will always be discovered.
  2. idiomaticSecrets or hidden crimes will eventually be exposed or discovered; nothing that is secret can remain a secret forever.

Origin

The phrase murder will out, literally "murder will become public", appears as far back as Geoffrey Chaucer's works. The phrase is often linked to the superstition that a murderer's presence near the corpse will be indicated by fresh bleeding.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 天网恢恢，疏而不漏
  • 天网恢恢，疏而不漏 (tiānwǎnghuīhuī, shū'érbùlòu)proverb
Finnish ennen pitkää totuus paljastuu
  • ennen pitkää totuus paljastuuproverb
German die Sonne bringt es an den Tag
  • die Sonne bringt es an den Tagproverb
Hebrew סוף גנב לתליה, רצח סופו שיתגלה
  • סוף גנב לתליהproverb
  • רצח סופו שיתגלהproverb
Cite this entry
APA

murder will out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/murder%20will%20out

MLA

“murder will out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/murder%20will%20out. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “murder will out,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/murder%20will%20out.

Source: murder will out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.