assassinate

verb

as·sas·si·nate ə-ˈsa-sə-ˌnāt

assassinated; assassinating

Synonyms of assassinate next

transitive verb

: to murder (a usually prominent person) by sudden or secret attack often for political reasons

a plot to assassinate the governor

: to injure or destroy unexpectedly and treacherously

assassinate a man's character

assassinator

ə-ˈsa-sə-ˌnā-tər

noun

Choose the Right Synonym for assassinate

kill, slay, murder, assassinate, dispatch, execute mean to deprive of life.

kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident

frost killed the plants

slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

Examples of assassinate in a Sentence

They discovered a secret plot to assassinate the governor. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.

Recent Examples on the Web In an interview later in the day, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco stood by his statements that his deputies may have prevented a third attempt to assassinate Trump. —

Julia Ainsley, NBC News, 15 Oct. 2024 The long-running lawsuit by former Saudi intelligence official Saad al-Jabri accuses Saudi Arabia of trying to assassinate him in October 2018. —

Greg McKenna, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2024 When her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Lancashire), calls in Helen’s old friend Sam (Whishaw) to keep her safe. —

Max Goldbart, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2024 Routh is charged with attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. —

Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for assassinate

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assassinate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.