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

Production is set to begin in coming months on the movie about a horticulturalist who moonlights as an assassin. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2025

Twice in this story, Nadia describes her desire to become an assassin—not a killer for hire but someone who kills bad guys pro bono. —Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2025

What appealed to you about this particular story of an aging female assassin? —Kevin Cassidy, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2025

The film also introduces new team members, including Paris (Pom Klementieff), an assassin seeking redemption, and Degas (Greg Tarzan Davis). —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Feb. 2025

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

Rhymes for assassin

• unfasten
• bason
• casson
• fasten
• cytochalasin
• diapason

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