hit man

or hit·man

noun Slang.

a hired killer, especially a professional killer from the underworld.
hatchet man(def 3).

Origin of hit man

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hitman

Contemporary Examples of hitman

With few other options, he became a hitman and killed many times.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison
Daniel Genis
December 8, 2014
In Devoted to Death, Chesnut describes a Mexican hitman who has an image of la Santa engraved on the butt of his pistol.
America’s Fastest Growing Death Holiday Is From Mexico
Michael Schulson
November 1, 2014
Benedetto Ceraulo, the Sicilian hitman, was given a life sentence.
Crime of Fashion: Gucci Killer to Go Free
Barbie Latza Nadeau
May 16, 2014
Filiberto Garcia is a hitman who knows exactly what gun to use for killing at short range, but not much beyond that.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Nov. 25, 2013
Thomas Flynn
November 25, 2013
You can only access a site called the “Hitman Network” if you use an anonymous router.
Hitman Network Says It Accepts Bitcoins to Murder for Hire
Eli Lake
October 17, 2013

British Dictionary definitions for hitman

hit man

noun

slang a hired assassin, esp one employed by gangsters

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for hitman

n.

"hired assassin," 1970, from hit (n.) in the underworld sense + man (n.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper