KILL(1)             Linux Programmer's Manual             KILL(1)

NAME
       kill - terminate a process

SYNOPSIS
       kill [ -s signal | -p ]  [ -a ] pid ...
       kill -l [ signal ]

DESCRIPTION
       kill  sends the specified signal to the specified process.
       If no signal is specified, the TERM signal is  sent.   The
       TERM  signal  will  kill processes which do not catch this
       signal.  For other processes, if may be necessary  to  use
       the KILL (9) signal, since this signal cannot be caught.

       Most modern shells have a builtin kill function.

OPTIONS
       pid ...
              Specify the list of processes that kill should sig-
              nal.  Each pid can be one of four things.   A  pro-
              cess  name in which case processes called that will
              be signaled.  n where n is larger than 0.  The pro-
              cess with pid n will be signaled.  -1 in which case
              all processes from MAX_INT to 2 will  be  signaled,
              as  allowed  by  the  issuing  user.  -n where n is
              larger than 1, in which case processes  in  process
              group  n  are signaled.  IFF a negative argument is
              given the signal must be specified first, otherwise
              it will be taken as the signal to send.

       -s     Specify  the  signal  to  send.   The signal may be
              given as a signal name or number.

       -p     Specify that kill should only print the process  id
              (pid)  of the named process, and should not send it
              a signal.

       -l     Print a list of signal names.  These are  found  in
              /usr/include/linux/signal.h

SEE ALSO
       bash(1), tcsh(1), kill(2), sigvec(2)

AUTHOR
       Taken  from  BSD  4.4.   The  ability to translate process
       names to process ids was added by Salvatore Valente  <sva-
       lente@mit.edu>.

Linux Utilities          14 October 1994                        1