assassin
noun
a murderer, especially one who kills a politically prominent person for fanatical or monetary reasons.
assassin
American
[uh-sas-in]
/ əˈsæs ɪn /
noun
-
assassins
plural
-
a murderer, especially one who kills a politically prominent person for fanatical or monetary reasons.
-
(initial capital letter) one of an order of Muslim fanatics, active in Persia and Syria from about 1090 to 1272, whose chief object was to assassinate Crusaders.
Assassin
1
British
/ əˈsæsɪn /
noun
assassin
2
British
/ əˈsæsɪn /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of assassin
1525–35; < Medieval Latin assassinī (plural) < Arabic ḥashshāshīn eaters of hashish
Explanation
An assassin is someone who murders an important political or religious leader. Brutus is one of the most infamous assassins in history. He murdered Julius Caesar, who ruled Rome in the first century B.C. The word assassin, pronounced "uh-SASS-in," describes a person who murders a prominent person, like a political or religious leader. Often, this person is hired to kill, though he or she might act on personal motivations. To correctly spell assassin, remember that it has two double s's.
Vocabulary lists containing assassin
Language Gone Wrong: Words That Started Out as Errors
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Workshop 4, Part 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Surrey man is a more reserved character – an assassin rather than a warrior.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
Two years later, another would-be assassin targeted Trump—and Curran is the one answering for the agency as questions about its preparedness mount.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
The shooting on Saturday, which Trump blamed on a "would-be assassin," also caused him to riff on one of his favorite topics -- the huge $400 million ballroom he is building at the White House.
From Barron's ● Apr. 26, 2026
The character they built for “Normal” was intentionally less mythic and more grounded than the former government assassin Odenkirk plays in “Nobody.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026
Recognizing the unique music of cavalry on the move, the assassin knew he had only a minute or two to react before it was too late.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
Appeared in the April 27, 2026, print edition as 'A ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
And she has staged a number of plays at the National over the past 25 years, most recently Kerry Jackson and The Father and the Assassin, both last year.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2023
Its counterpart imperial stout, Vanilla Bean Assassin, is ranked No. 2, while another offering called Mornin’ Delight is ranked in the top 10.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 27, 2023
“An Assassin in Utopia” links President James Garfield’s killer to an atmosphere of free love and religious fervor that gripped Oneida, N.Y., in the late 1800s.
From New York Times ● Feb. 6, 2023
The Assassin picked at the frayed cuff of her blouse.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
He was on the march "to demonstrate against the assassins of humanity", he added.
From Barron's ● Jun. 14, 2026
A nod of appreciation to those assassins who don't make it - Ballon d'Or-winner Andriy Shevchenko was close, Christian Vieri's highlights and world-record transfer fee came last century.
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026
I don’t want to go too deep into the plot, which involves a supersonic weapon, stolen software, assassins on motorcycles and a common ticking-clock device, but it’s closer to “Moonraker,” say, than “Slow Horses.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026
Antony uses the opportunity to skillfully turn the Romans against the assassins, mocking Brutus as “an honorable man,” who had committed “bloody treason.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
On Thursday, April 20, Thomas Jones witnessed the cavalry riding out of town on the news that the assassins had been spotted in another county.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
