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

Listen to this article John Hinckley Jr., the man who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, spoke out Wednesday against violence amid the fallout from Donald Trump’s shooting at a Pennsylvania rally. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 18 July 2024

In July 2022, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was tragically assassinated. —Astha Rajvanshi, TIME, 17 July 2024

Trump appeared before the convention crowd almost exactly 48 hours after a gunman attempted to assassinate him Saturday night at a rally in Pennsylvania. —Mariana alfaro, Washington Post, 16 July 2024

Kennedy's uncle, President John F. Kennedy, was the last president to be assassinated. —Susan Miller, USA TODAY, 16 July 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