assassinate

verb

as·sas·si·nate | \ ə-ˈsa-sə-ˌnāt

assassinated; assassinating

Definition of assassinate

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

Other Words from assassinate Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about assassinate

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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

Then in 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who had pursued negotiations with the Palestinians, was assassinated by a Jewish extremist opposed to the plan. — NBC News, "Amid Trump's Mideast push, an abandoned building reminds Palestinians of past failures," 16 June 2018 Among those assassinated by the regime since Kim Jong Un took power in 2011 after his father’s death are Kim’s half brother and his uncle. — BostonGlobe.com, "Mike Pompeo heading to North Korea to meet with Kim Jong Un again," 9 May 2018 Louis was the name of Prince Phillip’s grandfather, Prince Louis Alexander of Battenberg, as well as Prince Charles’ great-uncle Earl Louis Mountbatten, who was assassinated by the IRA in 1979. — Cady Lang, Time, "Kate Middleton and Prince William Just Announced Their Royal Baby's Name Is Prince Louis Arthur Charles," 27 Apr. 2018 According to Town and Country, the name Louis also pays tribute to the Prince Philip's uncle and Prince Charles's mentor, the late Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was assassinated by the IRA in 1979. — Leada Gore, AL.com, "New royal baby named; how do you pronounce prince's name?," 27 Apr. 2018 On April 14 in 1865, president Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth while attending a production of Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre. — Steve Heisler, Chicago Reader, "Archive Dive / Chicagoans / Politics Daniel Weinberg loves Abraham Lincoln (and especially Abraham Linclon) more than you do," 12 Apr. 2018 If necessary, Berg was to assassinate the principal architect of the Nazis’ nuclear ambitions, physicist Werner Heisenberg. — Michael O’sullivan, kansascity, "Paul Rudd’s ‘The Catcher Was a Spy’ bobbles a fascinating real-life story," 28 June 2018 In Zimbabwe, President Emmerson Mnangagwa was unscathed by a bomb explosion at a campaign rally that state media called an attempt to assassinate him, the Associated Press reported. — Hadra Ahmed, BostonGlobe.com, "Explosions hit rallies for leaders of Ethiopia, Zimbabwe," 23 June 2018 Can’t wait to assassinate every target while wearing a flamingo mascot costume and wielding a half-frozen fish. — Brad Chacos, PCWorld, "The best PC games of E3 2018," 15 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'assassinate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.