hit man

or hitman

noun

, Slang.

1. a hired killer, especially a professional killer from the underworld.
2. hatchet man ( def 3 ).

hit man

noun

1. slang.
   a hired assassin, esp one employed by gangsters

Word History and Origins

Origin of hit man¹

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

Example Sentences

It was only after being moved to Moscow that the dual British-Russian citizen realised he was one of 24 prisoners to be freed in the exchange - including a Kremlin hit man.

From BBC

In the indictment, the U.S. accused an unnamed Indian official of working with a known international narcotics trafficker to hire the fake hit man for $100,000.

From Los Angeles Times

But as the Russian hit man fled the scene — a wooded pathway in a park in the middle of Berlin — he bungled his getaway.

From Los Angeles Times

Johnson’s bosses asked him to disguise himself as a hit man and wear a wire to meet her.

From New York Times

The story: Glen Powell is a philosophy professor who moonlights for the police in New Orleans when he finds himself undercover posing as a hit man in this Richard Linklater movie.

From New York Times

Related Words

• assassin
• gunman
• hit woman
• murderer
• sniper