assassin

noun

ə-ˈsa-sᵊn How to pronounce assassin (audio)
Definition of assassinnext
as in murderer
a person who kills another person shot down by an unknown assassin

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of assassin David May was the joker in the team; Paul Scholes was the silent assassin, sat there at the back, throwing comments. — Andy Mitten, New York Times, 31 July 2026 The five-part series chronicles the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the search for and eventual arrest of his alleged assassin, Luigi Mangione. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 28 July 2026 The young women acted as underground assassins, seducing Nazi officers, luring them into the woods and killing them. — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026 Rumors swirled in Mexico City of assassins arriving and attacks being planned. — Literary Hub, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for assassin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assassin
  1. murderer
  2. killer
Noun
  • Fleming remains in the fold at Universal after being tapped for a role alongside a murderer’s row of fellow comics in the Judd Apatow-Glen Powell comedy The Comeback King, out February 5.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 31 July 2026
  • In the somewhat convoluted progress of Mitchell’s script, their ego war is eventually eclipsed by fears there’s a genuine murderer on the loose — perhaps even an actual vampire.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 July 2026
Definition of murderer
Noun
  • Before Salguero-Olivares was charged, Hedgepeth’s mother, Connie Hedgepeth, spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about her hopes for the case and her daughter’s killer.
    — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The district attorney who put the killer behind bars for the rest of his life and won an unprecedented murder conviction against his father, agreed.
    — Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of killer

Browse Nearby Words

assails
assassin
assassinate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Assassin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assassin. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on assassin

Nglish: Translation of assassin for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about assassin

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