assassinate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to kill suddenly or secretively, especially a prominent person; murder premeditatedly and treacherously.
- Synonyms:
- slay
-
to destroy or harm treacherously and viciously.
to assassinate a person's character.
verb
-
to murder (a person, esp a public or political figure), usually by a surprise attack
-
to ruin or harm (a person's reputation, etc) by slander
Other Word Forms
- assassination noun
- assassinative adjective
- assassinator noun
- unassassinated adjective
Etymology
Origin of assassinate
Explanation
To assassinate someone means to target and deliberately kill that person. The word assassinate is almost always used to describe the killing of a famous person. When a political leader or very well-known person is murdered, the killer is said to assassinate the victim. A killer might assassinate someone for political or ideological reasons, to gain fame for the act, or possibly for payment by someone else. You can assassinate figuratively, as well, by damaging a person's good name: "If you print that story, it will assassinate my reputation." The Arabic root of assassin is hashishiyyin, "hashish users."
Vocabulary lists containing assassinate
"The Civil Rights Movement"
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September Words
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English Words Derived from Arabic
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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.
One North Korean commando, captured during a daring 1968 mission to assassinate the South Korean president in Seoul, recalls the confusion he felt when first encountering Christianity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
The Church Committee recommended, and Congress subsequently enacted, dozens of sweeping reforms to foreign intelligence collection activities, as well as restraints on future efforts by the U.S. government to assassinate people.
From Salon • Mar. 13, 2026
Among those released so far are Spanish-Venezuelan rights activist Rocio San Miguel, arrested in 2024 over her purported role in an alleged plot to assassinate Maduro.
From Barron's • Jan. 17, 2026
The HSCA’s link analysis about the Grapevine Tavern and its conclusion that the Ray family was deeply involved in the plan to assassinate King were never pursued by the Department of Justice.
From Slate • Dec. 1, 2025
Then Gale says, “Katniss, we all knew you were lying about Coin sending you to assassinate Snow.”
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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.
