assassination
noun
as·sas·si·na·tion
ə-ˌsa-sə-ˈnā-shən 
plural assassinations
1
: murder by sudden or secret attack often for political reasons : the act or an instance of assassinating someone (such as a prominent political leader)
the assassination of Abraham Lincoln
an assassination attempt
In medieval days, assassination by poisoning was common enough to alarm many a king, and protection was sought in the form of prayers, food tasters and science.—
The New York Times
The New York Times2
: treacherous destruction of a person's reputation
character assassination
Examples of assassination in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Those and several other assassinations did not prompt retaliatory Iranian strikes on Israel.
—Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2024
Zahedi, a former commander of the IRGC’s ground forces, air force, and the deputy commander of its operations, was the most high-profile Iranian target killed since then-US President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of IRGC Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in 2020.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
An iconic photo that The Washington Post published of Monarch Novelties in 1968 — after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. sparked riots in D.C. that left parts of the city burning — shows the family who worked and lived in the building fighting to save it.
—Theresa Vargas, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
MacNeil conducted on-the-ground reporting on some of the biggest stories in the U.S., such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
The motif returns later when Fourth of July fireworks go off during an assassination.
—Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
This assassination led Garza to pick up arms and declare his revolution against Díaz on Sept. 15, 1891, Mexican Independence Day.
—TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
Listen, man, the RFK assassination was childhood’s end for me.
—Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
Experts say the attack is the biggest of its kind on Iranian targets since then-US President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian commander, in Baghdad in 2020.
—Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2024
Zahedi, a former commander of the IRGC’s ground forces, air force, and the deputy commander of its operations, was the most high-profile Iranian target killed since then-US President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of IRGC Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in 2020.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
An iconic photo that The Washington Post published of Monarch Novelties in 1968 — after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. sparked riots in D.C. that left parts of the city burning — shows the family who worked and lived in the building fighting to save it.
—Theresa Vargas, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
MacNeil conducted on-the-ground reporting on some of the biggest stories in the U.S., such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
The motif returns later when Fourth of July fireworks go off during an assassination.
—Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
This assassination led Garza to pick up arms and declare his revolution against Díaz on Sept. 15, 1891, Mexican Independence Day.
—TIME, 9 Apr. 2024
Listen, man, the RFK assassination was childhood’s end for me.
—Sean Woods, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
Experts say the attack is the biggest of its kind on Iranian targets since then-US President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian commander, in Baghdad in 2020.
—Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assassination.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Assassination.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assassination. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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