assassin

noun

as·​sas·​sin ə-ˈsa-sᵊn 

1

: a person who commits murder

especially : one who murders a politically important person either for money or from fanatical adherence to a cause

2

Assassin : a member of a Shia Muslim sect who at the time of the Crusades was sent out on a suicidal mission to murder prominent enemies

Synonyms

• murderer
• killer

Examples of assassin in a Sentence

John Wilkes Booth was the assassin of Abraham Lincoln.

shot down by an unknown assassin

Recent Examples on the Web

During filming for his role as Denali, a rogue Comanche assassin in Antoine Fuqua’s 2016 remake of The Magnificent Seven, cast members were given slushies during breaks. —Ethan Bauer, Rolling Stone, 3 Aug. 2025

Soon our heroes are dodging would-be assassins at every turn. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 1 Aug. 2025

But, naturally, that doesn’t last as a dark and personal danger lurking in the shadows, the deadly new assassin Ujigami, makes their presence known. —Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 2025

Trump's second term is full of reminders of the would-be assassin who shot the Republican in Butler, Pennsylvania, one year ago, killing a supporter at the rally before a Secret Service sniper shot and killed the gunman. —Zac Anderson, USA Today, 14 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin assassinus, from Arabic ḥashshāshīn, plural of ḥashshāsh worthless person, literally, hashish user, from hashīsh hashish

First Known Use

circa 1520, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing assassin

• assassin bug

Rhymes for assassin

• unfasten
• bason
• casson
• fasten
• cytochalasin
• diapason

Kids Definition

assassin

noun

as·​sas·​sin ə-ˈsas-ən 

: a person who kills another person

especially : one who murders a politically important person either for pay or from loyalty to a cause