assassinate

verb

as·​sas·​si·​nate ə-ˈsa-sə-ˌnāt 

assassinated; assassinating

transitive verb

1

: to murder (a usually prominent person) by sudden or secret attack often for political reasons

a plot to assassinate the governor

2

: to injure or destroy unexpectedly and treacherously

assassinate a man's character

assassinator

ə-ˈsa-sə-ˌnā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• bump off
• croak [slang]
• dispatch
• do in
• execute
• get
• ice [slang]
• knock off
• liquidate
• murder
• neutralize
• off [slang]
• put away
• rub out
• slay
• snuff
• take out
• terminate
• whack [slang]

Choose the Right Synonym for assassinate

kill, slay, murder, assassinate, dispatch, execute mean to deprive of life.

kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident

frost killed the plants

slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

Examples of assassinate in a Sentence

They discovered a secret plot to assassinate the governor.

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.

Recent Examples on the Web

In August, armed men assassinated presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio after leaving a campaign rally in Quito, leaving several others injured. —Karol Suárez, The Courier-Journal, 12 June 2024

And then came two gloomy days in 1968 — April 4 and June 5 — when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California presidential primary. —George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2024

Many were also protesting Ronald Reagan, a conservative who was running for President, and mourning Harvey Milk, the first out gay man elected to public office in California, who was assassinated in 1978. —Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 6 June 2024

His great-uncle was Earl Mountbatten of Burma, Prince Philip's uncle assassinated by the IRA Lord Ivar’s great-uncle was the Earl Mountbatten of Burma (born Prince Louis of Battenberg), who had a close relationship with his nephew, Prince Philip. —Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 5 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

see assassin

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

assassinate

verb

as·​sas·​si·​nate ə-ˈsas-ᵊn-ˌāt 

assassinated; assassinating

: to murder a usually important person by a surprise or secret attack

assassination

ə-ˌsas-ᵊn-ˈā-shən 

noun