assassin

noun

as·​sas·​sin ə-ˈsa-sᵊn 

1

: a person who commits murder

especially : one who murders a politically important person either for money or from fanatical adherence to a cause

2

Assassin : a member of a Shia Muslim sect who at the time of the Crusades was sent out on a suicidal mission to murder prominent enemies

Synonyms

• cutthroat
• homicide
• killer
• manslayer
• murderer

Examples of assassin in a Sentence

John Wilkes Booth was the assassin of Abraham Lincoln.

shot down by an unknown assassin

Recent Examples on the Web

In July, Trump was shot and injured at a Pennsylvania rally by a would-be assassin. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 16 Sep. 2024

Just two months ago, Trump was shot in the right ear by a would-be assassin during a rally in Butler, Pa. —Stepheny Price, Fox News, 16 Sep. 2024

America suffered too many times the tragedy of an assassin's bullet. —Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2024

Dave Bautista stars in this action/thriller with a comedy twist about an assassin diagnosed with a life-threatening illness who decides to take control of his fate. —Tom Brueggemann, IndieWire, 15 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin assassinus, from Arabic ḥashshāshīn, plural of ḥashshāsh worthless person, literally, hashish user, from hashīsh hashish

First Known Use

circa 1520, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing assassin

• assassin bug

Kids Definition

assassin

noun

as·​sas·​sin ə-ˈsas-ən 

: a person who kills another person

especially : one who murders a politically important person either for pay or from loyalty to a cause