a murderer, especially one who kills a politically prominent person for fanatical or monetary reasons.
(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.
1525–35; < Medieval Latin assassinī (plural) < Arabic ḥashshāshīn eaters of hashish
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.
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The Old Woman With the Knife is Gu Byeong-mo's story about Hornclaw, a legendary assassin in her 60s contemplating retirement while navigating loneliness.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
Instead, you should be on guard against the silent, ruthless assassin of wealth: inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
He called the shooting a "very sad situation" on Tuesday and refused to back Miller's "assassin" description -- while insisting that under-fire Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem would not step down.
From Barron's • Jan. 27, 2026
Hence, he survived much longer than he should have by convincing his prey, including Zac Efron’s wide-eyed brother Dylan, that he’d be too obvious an assassin.
From Salon • Jan. 15, 2026
Back at Ford’s Theatre, the manhunt for Booth almost ended before it began when one man, an army major, rose from his front-row seat to pursue the assassin.
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.
