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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

Award-winning actress Gabrielle Creevy has told how she loved being able to play "a very Welsh assassin" in the upcoming new season of spy thriller Black Doves.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

The transformation from on-court assassin to reserved father of two is like Clark Kent and Superman, St. Jean said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 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

Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the main character of the first entries in the series, inspired the outfits and high-flying style of his "aerial assassin" persona.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

“You’re starting to sound like an assassin, my friend.”

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

Assassin bugs, which belong to an insect family called Reduviidae, date at least as far back as the Jurassic.

From New York Times ● Jan. 19, 2021

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

In San Francisco: Police detective Frank Bullitt, played by Steve McQueen, pursues assassins who killed a mob witness he is assigned to protect in an epic 10-minute, 53-second car chase scene in “Bullitt.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026

Osric Mordaunt, considered a dark magic user, is part of an order of assassins hated and dismissed by Aurienne Fairhrim’s light magic order of healers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2025

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

And Lazlo was surprised by the strength of his gratitude—to be believed, even by a tomb raider from a family of assassins.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

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