assassin

noun

as·​sas·​sin ə-ˈsa-sᵊn 

1

: a person who commits murder

especially : one who murders a politically important person either for money or from fanatical adherence to a cause

2

Assassin : a member of a Shia Muslim sect who at the time of the Crusades was sent out on a suicidal mission to murder prominent enemies

Synonyms

• murderer
• killer

Examples of assassin in a Sentence

John Wilkes Booth was the assassin of Abraham Lincoln.

shot down by an unknown assassin

Recent Examples on the Web

There, Pat, Willa, and an assassin follow one another across terrain that bucks and dips like a cartoon water hose. —Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025

Are assassins like Kirk’s killer simply pathological outliers among agitated but otherwise self-restrained populations? —Ron Barrett, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025

Brian’s life is saved by Murtagh, who tackles him and rolls him to a hiding spot while the assassins pass. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 26 Sep. 2025

Or Florian Geyer, a noble who also led peasant armies and was finally knifed by an assassin. —Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin assassinus, from Arabic ḥashshāshīn, plural of ḥashshāsh worthless person, literally, hashish user, from hashīsh hashish

First Known Use

circa 1520, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing assassin

• assassin bug

Rhymes for assassin

• unfasten
• bason
• casson
• fasten
• cytochalasin
• diapason

Kids Definition

assassin

noun

as·​sas·​sin ə-ˈsas-ən 

: a person who kills another person

especially : one who murders a politically important person either for pay or from loyalty to a cause