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• assassin
  assassin

  noun

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

  noun

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

assassin

American  

[uh-sas-in] / əˈsæs ɪn /

noun

• assassins
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• assassins
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of assassin

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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

assassin Assassin assassins

Are you a silent assassin, a strategic mastermind or an agent of chaos?

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Ali’s mournful assassin is trying to stay one step ahead of his enemies and, likewise, the movie fights like hell to elude conventionality.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

But even then, the film feels energized by its bold mixture of pulp pleasures and weighty musings, operating with a bruising efficiency that Ali’s skilled assassin would no doubt respect.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

He's the "aerial assassin" who's widely seen as the best pro wrestler of the last decade, but Will Ospreay is keen to point out that it's not come from him.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

Princess Nehemia cast a worried glance in Celaena’s direction, but the assassin waved at her to resume her lesson with the Crown Prince.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

If you trace in this event the origins of a similar scene in Alias Grace and also one in The Blind Assassin, you would be right.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025

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

He didn’t know how she caught them without cutting herself; it must have been an Assassin thing.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

"This awoke not just Michoacan, but all of Mexico," she told AFP while surrounded by bodyguards to keep would-be assassins at bay.

From Barron's ● May 18, 2026

When asked why assassins keep targeting him, he answered, “I studied assassinations,” and suggested that “the people that make the biggest impact,” such as Abraham Lincoln, tend to be the targets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 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

And, when that power comes on and pulls Scotland this way and that, enter the French assassins behind the scrum - all clever angles and deception, outrageous vision and ruthless execution.

From BBC ● Mar. 15, 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

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