assassin
noun
a murderer, especially one who kills a politically prominent person for fanatical or monetary reasons.
assassin
American
[uh-sas-in]
/ əˈsæs ɪn /
noun
-
assassins
plural
-
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.
Assassin
1
British
/ əˈsæsɪn /
noun
assassin
2
British
/ əˈsæsɪn /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of assassin
1525–35; < Medieval Latin assassinī (plural) < Arabic ḥashshāshīn eaters of hashish
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.
Vocabulary lists containing assassin
Language Gone Wrong: Words That Started Out as Errors
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Workshop 4, Part 1
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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.
See Examples For:
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
One such role was Fuches, a mentor to Bill Hader’s assassin in HBO’s “Barry,” which earned Root his first Emmy nomination.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
The game follows Kenway, also from Swansea, as he sails to the Caribbean as a privateer looking for wealth, and evolves into a pirate, then assassin.
From BBC ● Jul. 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
Finally, at the climax of a twelve-day manhunt that had gripped the nation, a heavily armed patrol of the Sixteenth New York Cavalry had cornered Lincoln’s assassin!
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
Appeared in the April 27, 2026, print edition as 'A ‘Friendly Federal Assassin’'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
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
“An Assassin in Utopia” may not stay focused on the story its title promises, but it does succeed in humanizing Garfield and the tragedy of his early death.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 2, 2023
Crying out, the Assassin dropped to one knee, her hand caught fast in Tanin’s viselike grip.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
He was on the march "to demonstrate against the assassins of humanity", he added.
From Barron's ● Jun. 14, 2026
When asked why assassins keep targeting him, he answered, “I studied assassinations,” and suggested that “the people that make the biggest impact,” such as Abraham Lincoln, tend to be the targets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
I don’t want to go too deep into the plot, which involves a supersonic weapon, stolen software, assassins on motorcycles and a common ticking-clock device, but it’s closer to “Moonraker,” say, than “Slow Horses.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026
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
“I didn’t know assassins liked to read,” Chaol called.
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.
