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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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Lady Thatcher and her assassin are "the entrance point" to that issue, he says.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
The shooting on Saturday, which Trump blamed on a "would-be assassin," also caused him to riff on one of his favorite topics -- the huge $400 million ballroom he is building at the White House.
From Barron's • Apr. 26, 2026
The character they built for “Normal” was intentionally less mythic and more grounded than the former government assassin Odenkirk plays in “Nobody.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026
But it isn’t a terrorist or an assassin.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
Glancing around her room, the assassin let out a long sigh.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
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.
