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

The prominent conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was struck in the neck by an assassin’s bullet. —W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025

The search for Kirk’s assassin entered its third day Friday, with officials releasing new still photos of the person of interest, along with video of the person fleeing the scene after the shooting. —Filip Timotija, The Hill, 12 Sep. 2025

Such statements came even as the authorities continue to search for the shooter and there is no information about the assassin or the motives behind the attack. —Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025

And Charlie Kirk's assassin is still at large. —Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 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