assassinate
Americanverb (used with object)
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assassinates,
present (3rd person singular)
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assassinated,
past participle, past
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assassinating
present participle
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to kill suddenly or secretively, especially a prominent person; murder premeditatedly and treacherously.
- Synonyms:
- slay
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to destroy or harm treacherously and viciously.
to assassinate a person's character.
verb
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to murder (a person, esp a public or political figure), usually by a surprise attack
-
to ruin or harm (a person's reputation, etc) by slander
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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assassinatesimple
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assassinatessimple
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have assassinatedperfect
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has assassinatedperfect
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am assassinatingprogressive
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are assassinatingprogressive
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is assassinatingprogressive
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have been assassinatingperfect progressive
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has been assassinatingperfect progressive
Past
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assassinatedsimple
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had assassinatedperfect
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was assassinatingprogressive
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were assassinatingprogressive
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had been assassinatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of assassinate
Explanation
To assassinate someone means to target and deliberately kill that person. The word assassinate is almost always used to describe the killing of a famous person. When a political leader or very well-known person is murdered, the killer is said to assassinate the victim. A killer might assassinate someone for political or ideological reasons, to gain fame for the act, or possibly for payment by someone else. You can assassinate figuratively, as well, by damaging a person's good name: "If you print that story, it will assassinate my reputation." The Arabic root of assassin is hashishiyyin, "hashish users."
Vocabulary lists containing assassinate
"The Civil Rights Movement"
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English Words Derived from Arabic
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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:
In 1835, an unemployed house painter named Richard Lawrence tried to assassinate President Jackson.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The man charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at a Washington dinner lived with his parents in a quiet coastal suburb of Los Angeles.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
The Church Committee recommended, and Congress subsequently enacted, dozens of sweeping reforms to foreign intelligence collection activities, as well as restraints on future efforts by the U.S. government to assassinate people.
From Salon ● Mar. 13, 2026
A man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in prison at a US court for his involvement in a plot to assassinate Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist highly critical of Tehran.
From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026
Then Gale says, “Katniss, we all knew you were lying about Coin sending you to assassinate Snow.”
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
It may seem a trifle scratchy fer the moment, but it assassinates the blood-p'ison.
From The Conquest of Canaan by Booth Tarkington
I think of you always; Jack also; I have told him so much, he assassinates himself with desire to see you all.
From Fernley House by Etheldred B. (Etheldred Breeze) Barry
Fear is the dungeon of the mind, and superstition is a dagger with which hypocrisy assassinates the soul.
From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 1 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Lectures by Robert Green Ingersoll
Ladies and Gentlemen: Fear is the dungeon of the mind, and superstition is a dagger with which hypocrisy assassinates the soul.
From Lectures of Col. R. G. Ingersoll, Volume I Including His Answers to the Clergy, His Oration at His Brother's Grave, Etc., Etc. by Robert Green Ingersoll
With his pen, as Cellini with his dagger, he assassinates; his cynicism serves him for a coat of armour.
From Renaissance in Italy Volume 3 The Fine Arts by John Addington Symonds
Eight of the 45 men who have occupied the country’s highest office died during their terms—of them, four were assassinated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Shortly after the conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated, Patel tweeted that the shooter was in custody; it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.
From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2026
Kennedy, who was born after her father was assassinated, credits not only him but her whole family with inspiring her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Black clergy in the city, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968, are redoubling their efforts to mobilize voters.
From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026
Then someone blurted it out: Abraham Lincoln had been assassinated in Washington last night!
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
"The play in no way advocates assassinating our political leaders, or anyone," the writer stresses.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
A California review board on Wednesday denied parole to Sirhan Sirhan, the Palestinian refugee serving a life sentence for assassinating U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.
From Reuters ● Mar. 2, 2023
One of the pieces of information revealed was a psychological evaluation of Lee Harvey Oswald, who was arrested for assassinating John F. Kennedy.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2022
Sirhan, the man convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy more than 50 years ago, has been recommended for release by a California parole board.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2021
Their mission was to strike a blow against Austria and the Hapsburg monarchy by assassinating Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
