plural assassins
1
: a person who commits murder
especially
: one who murders a politically prominent person either for money or from fanatical adherence to a cause
… the location of the victim's gunshot wounds … might point to a professional assassin. —
Wendy Fry
Wendy Fry 2
Assassin plural Assassins, history
: a person belonging to a Shia Muslim sect during the time of the Crusades whose members were notorious for murdering prominent enemies
For a third of a century, no enemy of the Assassins had ever managed to elude them.—Amin Maalouf
Amin MaaloufExamples 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
In the days after Kirk’s death, politicians, law enforcement, and many media outlets tried to parse the meaning of the assassin’s inscriptions—to find a motive or assign blame.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, he is hunted by an unrelenting assassin from the future which forever alters the fate of his three children, reads Netflix’s synopsis.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
The season 45 champion is a true triple threat — with athleticism, charm, and charisma wrapped inside the skin of a cold-blooded assassin.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Feb. 2026
Thompson’s death was greeted with horror and sympathy for the victim’s family but also with disturbingly widespread support for the assassin—fueled by outrage at insurers, whom many fault for blocking medical care.
—Chris Pope, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for assassin
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Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
As Malcolm navigates the moral complexities of his creation, he is hunted by an unrelenting assassin from the future which forever alters the fate of his three children, reads Netflix’s synopsis.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
The season 45 champion is a true triple threat — with athleticism, charm, and charisma wrapped inside the skin of a cold-blooded assassin.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Feb. 2026
Thompson’s death was greeted with horror and sympathy for the victim’s family but also with disturbingly widespread support for the assassin—fueled by outrage at insurers, whom many fault for blocking medical care.
—Chris Pope, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for assassin
Cite this Entry
“Assassin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assassin. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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