assassin

noun

as·​sas·​sin ə-ˈsa-sᵊn How to pronounce assassin (audio)
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
King Shrewd secretly trains young Fitz as an assassin, harnessing his ancestral magic. Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 25 May 2025 Those were the final words uttered by Emperor Uriel Septum—played by none other than Star Trek's Patrick Stewart—before an assassin leaped out of the shadows to cut him down. PC Magazine, 22 May 2025 The organized crime syndicates also have ties to the Mexican mafia and, in one instance, hired an assassin from the Sureño gang, who shot two people in a murder-for-hire plot, killing one of them. Matt Finn, FOXNews.com, 21 May 2025 His all-or-nothing strategy of wildcat provocations that often sacrifice his pawns increasingly conflicts with Andor’s desire for stability, and with the requirements of the Rebellion’s growing ranks, who are in need of hierarchy and management—bureaucrats, not assassins. Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for assassin

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of assassin was circa 1520

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Assassin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assassin. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

assassin

noun
as·​sas·​sin ə-ˈsas-ən How to pronounce assassin (audio)
: a person who kills another person
especially : one who murders a politically important person either for pay or from loyalty to a cause

More from Merriam-Webster on assassin

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!