assassination

noun

as·​sas·​si·​na·​tion ə-ˌsa-sə-ˈnā-shən 

plural assassinations

1

: 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

2

: treacherous destruction of a person's reputation

character assassination

Examples of assassination in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

From there, Fogelman quickly gets into his beloved fractured timelines, taking us back several years to show how the two men met, and to see Xavier save Cal (who was still president, sort of, at the time of his death) from a previous assassination attempt. —Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 28 Jan. 2025

In July 2024, dramatic photos of President Trump surviving an assassination attempt during a Republican rally in Pennsylvania flooded the internet. —Leah Dolan, CNN, 28 Jan. 2025

The coin features an image of Trump from the moment of the assassination attempt on him, last July. —Charles Bethea, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025

At least one of the posts, which Araujo showed reporters, consisted of a meme relating to the assassination attempt on Trump in July 2024. —Julia Reinstein, ABC News, 26 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing assassination

• character assassination