assassinate

verb

as·​sas·​si·​nate ə-ˈsa-sə-ˌnāt 

assassinated; assassinating

transitive verb

1

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

a plot to assassinate the governor

2

: to injure or destroy unexpectedly and treacherously

assassinate a man's character

assassinator

ə-ˈsa-sə-ˌnā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• murder
• slay
• execute
• kill

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

There was huge outrage and debate at the time around the idea that the American president could assassinate an American citizen extrajudicially, in violation of his Constitutional rights. —Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025

The series follows Agent 47, a contract killer who travels to different destinations across the world to assassinate targets. —George Yang, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025

The alleged plot included plans to assassinate key political rivals, including current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is now overseeing the case. —Carrie Kahn, NPR, 2 Sep. 2025

Prosecutors allege Bolsonaro and his closest allies orchestrated a coup d’état plan that included discussions about assassinating sitting President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his vice president, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the trial. —Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see assassin

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for assassinate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

Kids Definition

assassinate

verb

as·​sas·​si·​nate ə-ˈsas-ᵊn-ˌāt 

assassinated; assassinating

: to murder a usually important person by a surprise or secret attack

assassination

ə-ˌsas-ᵊn-ˈā-shən 

noun