assassination

noun

as·sas·si·na·tion ə-ˌsa-sə-ˈnā-shən

plural assassinations

: murder by sudden or secret attack often for political reasons : the act or an instance of assassinating someone (such as a prominent political leader)

the assassination of Abraham Lincoln

an assassination attempt

In medieval days, assassination by poisoning was common enough to alarm many a king, and protection was sought in the form of prayers, food tasters and science.—

The New York Times

: treacherous destruction of a person's reputation

character assassination

Examples of assassination in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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And in September, following the second assassination attempt against Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course, the governor announced the state was opening a criminal investigation into the matter. —

Julia Manchester, The Hill, 16 Jan. 2025 Trump’s assassination of Iranian defense chief Qasem Soleimani in January 2020 has proved both Trump’s willingness to take risks with Iran and Tehran’s inability to do much about it. —

Ian Bremmer, TIME, 16 Jan. 2025 However, assassination plots − even denials of plots − against former or serving world leaders are rare. —

Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2025 These included conducting coups in Iran and Guatemala and attempted or successful political assassinations in Congo, the Dominican Republic, Chile and Cuba. —

Matthew Clary, The Conversation, 14 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for assassination