$ pkill
Signal processes based on name and other attributes
DOCUMENTEDProcessesUbuntu 24.04 LTS baseline
Use care. This command sends signals to every process matching its selection criteria. Verify the match before using a terminating signal.
Synopsis
pkill [options] patternWhat it does
- `pkill` is the process-selection counterpart to `pgrep` that sends a signal to matching processes.
- Use restrictive matching criteria before sending signals to multiple processes.
Examples
Send SIGTERM to matching processes
pkill nginxSend SIGKILL to matching processes
pkill -KILL nginxImportant details
These examples are intentionally conservative. Command behavior can still depend on filesystem state, permissions, locale, shell, installed package version, and other system configuration.
For exact option semantics, the linked authoritative documentation is the source of truth.