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

Alireza Tangsiri Commodore Alireza Tangsiri served as the Guard’s naval commander until his assassination on March 26. —Keely Bastow, The Washington Examiner, 8 Apr. 2026

The assassinations of Iran's top commanders will not deter Tehran's armed forces, the Islamic Republic's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has said. —Sarah Dean, NBC news, 7 Apr. 2026

Before long, the notion that Israel had ordered Kirk’s assassination was so widely discussed that Netanyahu publicly denied involvement. —Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026

In the hours after Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was shot to death inside the bedroom of his mountaintop home, an inner circle of people suspected of being involved in the assassination plot in South Florida and in Port-au-Prince were frantically trying to steer events in their favor. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 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