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

The public nature of Kirk’s assassination, caught on camera and beamed around the world, further contributed to the extensive coverage. —Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2025

In the aftermath of the Kirk assassination, there have been concerns about retaliatory violence, about things spiralling out of control. —Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025

However, as the graphic assassination of Kirk shows – videos of it ran unedited on many social media platforms for hours before they were taken down – exposure to violent images now reach a far wider population. —Arash Javanbakht, The Conversation, 15 Sep. 2025

But with Charlie Kirk’s assassination, time will soon tell whether Trey Parker and Matt Stone will sideline the show’s political bend — at least for now. —Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025

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