diff --git a/doc/api/child_process.md b/doc/api/child_process.md
index 70345e9472c66e3..32844e822d4f774 100644
--- a/doc/api/child_process.md
+++ b/doc/api/child_process.md
@@ -1402,6 +1402,17 @@ setTimeout(() => {
 }, 2000);
 ```
 
+### `subprocess[Symbol.asyncDispose]()`
+
+<!-- YAML
+added: REPLACEME
+-->
+
+> Stability: 1 - Experimental
+
+Calls [`subprocess.kill()`][] with the `killSignal` option (the default is `'SIGTERM'`).
+and returns a promise that fulfills when the process is closed.
+
 ### `subprocess.killed`
 
 <!-- YAML
diff --git a/lib/child_process.js b/lib/child_process.js
index 59c37b97672d39a..b5cfa83dfe18517 100644
--- a/lib/child_process.js
+++ b/lib/child_process.js
@@ -62,7 +62,6 @@ const { Buffer } = require('buffer');
 const { Pipe, constants: PipeConstants } = internalBinding('pipe_wrap');
 
 const {
-  AbortError,
   codes: errorCodes,
   genericNodeError,
 } = require('internal/errors');
@@ -86,6 +85,7 @@ const {
 } = require('internal/validators');
 const child_process = require('internal/child_process');
 const {
+  abortChildProcess,
   getValidStdio,
   setupChannel,
   ChildProcess,
@@ -343,8 +343,6 @@ function execFile(file, args, options, callback) {
   // Validate maxBuffer, if present.
   validateMaxBuffer(options.maxBuffer);
 
-  options.killSignal = sanitizeKillSignal(options.killSignal);
-
   const child = spawn(file, args, {
     cwd: options.cwd,
     env: options.env,
@@ -354,6 +352,7 @@ function execFile(file, args, options, callback) {
     uid: options.uid,
     windowsHide: !!options.windowsHide,
     windowsVerbatimArguments: !!options.windowsVerbatimArguments,
+    killSignal: options.killSignal,
   });
 
   let encoding;
@@ -448,7 +447,7 @@ function execFile(file, args, options, callback) {
 
     killed = true;
     try {
-      child.kill(options.killSignal);
+      child.kill(child.killSignal);
     } catch (e) {
       ex = e;
       exithandler();
@@ -712,18 +711,6 @@ function normalizeSpawnArguments(file, args, options) {
   };
 }
 
-function abortChildProcess(child, killSignal, reason) {
-  if (!child)
-    return;
-  try {
-    if (child.kill(killSignal)) {
-      child.emit('error', new AbortError(undefined, { cause: reason }));
-    }
-  } catch (err) {
-    child.emit('error', err);
-  }
-}
-
 /**
  * Spawns a new process using the given `file`.
  * @param {string} file
@@ -751,7 +738,7 @@ function spawn(file, args, options) {
   validateTimeout(options.timeout);
   validateAbortSignal(options.signal, 'options.signal');
   const killSignal = sanitizeKillSignal(options.killSignal);
-  const child = new ChildProcess();
+  const child = new ChildProcess(killSignal);
 
   debug('spawn', options);
   child.spawn(options);
diff --git a/lib/internal/child_process.js b/lib/internal/child_process.js
index fc7edbda57d3206..6c33ea3dbd4da88 100644
--- a/lib/internal/child_process.js
+++ b/lib/internal/child_process.js
@@ -9,13 +9,16 @@ const {
   FunctionPrototypeCall,
   ObjectDefineProperty,
   ObjectSetPrototypeOf,
+  Promise,
   ReflectApply,
   StringPrototypeSlice,
   Symbol,
+  SymbolAsyncDispose,
   Uint8Array,
 } = primordials;
 
 const {
+  AbortError,
   errnoException,
   codes: {
     ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE,
@@ -251,13 +254,14 @@ function stdioStringToArray(stdio, channel) {
   return options;
 }
 
-function ChildProcess() {
+function ChildProcess(killSignal) {
   FunctionPrototypeCall(EventEmitter, this);
 
   this._closesNeeded = 1;
   this._closesGot = 0;
   this.connected = false;
 
+  this.killSignal = killSignal;
   this.signalCode = null;
   this.exitCode = null;
   this.killed = false;
@@ -516,6 +520,15 @@ ChildProcess.prototype.kill = function(sig) {
   return false;
 };
 
+ChildProcess.prototype[SymbolAsyncDispose] = function() {
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    this.on('exit', () => resolve(null));
+    if (!this.killed) {
+      abortChildProcess(this, this.killSignal);
+    }
+  });
+};
+
 
 ChildProcess.prototype.ref = function() {
   if (this._handle) this._handle.ref();
@@ -1122,8 +1135,23 @@ function spawnSync(options) {
   return result;
 }
 
+
+function abortChildProcess(child, killSignal, reason) {
+  if (!child)
+    return;
+  try {
+    if (child.kill(killSignal)) {
+      child.emit('error', reason == null ? new AbortError() : new AbortError(undefined, { cause: reason }));
+    }
+  } catch (err) {
+    child.emit('error', err);
+  }
+}
+
+
 module.exports = {
   ChildProcess,
+  abortChildProcess,
   kChannelHandle,
   setupChannel,
   getValidStdio,
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-child-process-destroy.js b/test/parallel/test-child-process-destroy.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000000..84a75195a3d0574
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-child-process-destroy.js
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+'use strict';
+const common = require('../common');
+const assert = require('assert');
+const spawn = require('child_process').spawn;
+const cat = spawn(common.isWindows ? 'cmd' : 'cat');
+
+cat.stdout.on('end', common.mustCall());
+cat.stderr.on('data', common.mustNotCall());
+cat.stderr.on('end', common.mustCall());
+
+cat.on('exit', common.mustCall((code, signal) => {
+  assert.strictEqual(code, null);
+  assert.strictEqual(signal, 'SIGTERM');
+  assert.strictEqual(cat.signalCode, 'SIGTERM');
+}));
+cat.on('error', common.mustCall((err) => {
+  assert.strictEqual(cat.signalCode, null);
+  assert.strictEqual(err.name, 'AbortError');
+}));
+
+assert.strictEqual(cat.signalCode, null);
+assert.strictEqual(cat.killed, false);
+cat[Symbol.asyncDispose]().then(common.mustCall(() => {
+  assert.strictEqual(cat.signalCode, 'SIGTERM');
+}));
+assert.strictEqual(cat.killed, true);