assassin

American  

[uh-sas-in] / əˈsæs ɪn /

noun

1. a murderer, especially one who kills a politically prominent person for fanatical or monetary reasons.

2. (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.

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Assassin ¹ British  

/ əˈsæsɪn /

noun

1. a member of a secret sect of Muslim fanatics operating in Persia and Syria from about 1090 to 1256, murdering their victims, usually Crusaders

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assassin ² British  

/ əˈsæsɪn /

noun

1. a murderer, esp one who kills a prominent political figure

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Etymology

Origin of assassin

1525–35; < Medieval Latin assassinī (plural) < Arabic ḥashshāshīn eaters of hashish

Example Sentences

And Bill calls people like Sam Lloyd “comedy assassins.”

From Los Angeles Times

The actor who played the East German assassin on Bond’s tail wasn’t so fortunate.

From The Wall Street Journal

I knew she had to leave, to find out more about the assassins’ plans.

From Literature

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

It was remarked on by Robert F. Kennedy Sr. in a speech in March 1968, less than three months before his nascent presidential campaign was ended by an assassin’s bullet.

From Los Angeles Times