hit man

American  

Or hitman

noun

Slang.

1. a hired killer, especially a professional killer from the underworld.

2. hatchet man.

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hit man British  

noun

1. slang a hired assassin, esp one employed by gangsters

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Etymology

Origin of hit man

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

Example Sentences

"There is no evidence he was a hit man full-time, part-time or any time", he added.

From BBC

Cotrona, draws on the kind of “John Wick”-style story that the action franchise perfected when it posed the question: What if there was a bounty on a hit man’s head?

From Los Angeles Times

Yes, 2023’s “John Wick: Chapter 4” seemed like it could be the concluding entry in the hugely popular franchise featuring Keanu Reeves as the legendary — and seemingly indestructible — hit man of few words.

From Los Angeles Times

It was only after being moved to Moscow that the dual British-Russian citizen realised he was one of 24 prisoners to be freed in the exchange - including a Kremlin hit man.

From BBC

The story: Glen Powell is a philosophy professor who moonlights for the police in New Orleans when he finds himself undercover posing as a hit man in this Richard Linklater movie.

From New York Times

Related Words

• assassin
• gunman
• hit woman
• murderer
• sniper