assassination

noun

as·​sas·​si·​na·​tion ə-ˌsa-sə-ˈnā-shən 

plural assassinations

1

: murder by sudden or secret attack often for political reasons : the act or an instance of assassinating someone (such as a prominent political leader)

the assassination of Abraham Lincoln

an assassination attempt

In medieval days, assassination by poisoning was common enough to alarm many a king, and protection was sought in the form of prayers, food tasters and science.

—The New York Times

2

: treacherous destruction of a person's reputation

character assassination

Examples of assassination in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Every day, dozens of mourners would come up to us with promises to kill the US president in revenge for the assassination of their leader. — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 11 July 2026

Following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse five years ago, Haiti has existed in a state of anarchy, with organized crime controlling swaths of the country and subjecting millions of Haitians to deprivation and extreme violence. — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026

In a similar vein, Forensic Architecture applies 3-D modeling and surveillance tools in reconstructing the assassination of Pavlos Fyssas, an anti-fascist rapper murdered by the Greek far-right Golden Dawn organization in 2013. — Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 10 July 2026

French national-security officials are seeking to build resiliency against that threat—including against hybrid warfare of sabotage, cyberattack, and assassination—as well as against Islamist terrorism, which has struck their country repeatedly. — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing assassination

• character assassination

Rhymes for assassination

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration