assassination
Americannoun
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the premeditated act of killing someone suddenly or secretively, especially a prominent person.
The meticulous way in which the journalist's assassination was carried out has led to suspicions that his killers were professionals working for state security.
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the act of destroying or harming treacherously and viciously.
They went after me with everything they had, engaging in character assassination and in destroying my reputation—a complete fabrication and frame-up.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of assassination
Explanation
An assassination is the murder of a public figure. Assassinations are usually politically motivated. If someone kills your dog, that’s not an assassination, that’s just murder (unless your dog was running for mayor). A murder is the unjust, illegal killing of someone. An assassination is a type of murder in which the victim is someone well known, usually in the world of politics. The killings of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King were assassinations: their purpose was to destabilize the government and hurt the civil rights movement, respectively. As assassination is murder plus politics.
Vocabulary lists containing assassination
American History I
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March Vocabulary Words
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World War I
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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.
But Detroit was in flames following the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and they stayed.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
The Secret Service plans to deploy counter-drone technology as part of its operation to protect the US leader, who has faced three alleged assassination attempts in less than two years.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
"He obviously wants to be careful that people can't necessarily track him down. It shows someone who's paranoid about his personal safety – from germs or assassination attempts," says Fiona Hill.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
She is also facing additional legal pressure from Kirk’s former head of security after suggesting he was involved in Kirk’s assassination.
From Salon • May 23, 2026
The evidence found in Booths hotel room included the mysterious “Sam” letter that seemed to predict the assassination.
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.
