assassinate

[uh-sas-uh-neyt]

verb (used with object)

assassinated, assassinating 

1. to kill suddenly or secretively, especially a prominent person; murder premeditatedly and treacherously.

   Synonyms: slay

2. to destroy or harm treacherously and viciously.

   to assassinate a person's character.

assassinate

/ əˈsæsɪˌneɪt /

verb

1. to murder (a person, esp a public or political figure), usually by a surprise attack

2. to ruin or harm (a person's reputation, etc) by slander

Other Word Forms

• assassination noun
• assassinative adjective
• assassinator noun
• unassassinated adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of assassinate¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; assassin + -ate ¹

Example Sentences

“It was the defendant’s plan and intention, taking steps purposefully, to assassinate the Supreme Court justice. And that did not change but for the presence of law enforcement,” prosecutor Coreen Mao said during Friday’s hearing.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

US prosecutors have claimed a Libyan man freely confessed to taking part in attacks on Americans, including the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and an aborted attempt to assassinate a US politician with a booby-trapped overcoat.

Read more on BBC

He was assassinated in 1934, ostensibly by an expelled party member with a grudge.

Read more on Salon

Moore chose this moment for a shocking crime in an era nearly defined by them — on Sept. 22, 1975, she tried to assassinate Ford in front of the fashionable St. Francis Hotel.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In June, he ordered the Navy to rename one its ships, which bore the name of an assassinated gay rights activist and Navy veteran, Harvey Milk.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• execute 
• gun down www.thesaurus.com
• kill 
• slaughter 
• slay