Synonym Chooser

How is the word assassinate distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of assassinate are dispatch, execute, kill, murder, and slay. While all these words mean "to deprive of life," assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

When might dispatch be a better fit than assassinate?

The words dispatch and assassinate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

When can execute be used instead of assassinate?

Although the words execute and assassinate have much in common, execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

When would kill be a good substitute for assassinate?

The meanings of kill and assassinate largely overlap; however, kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident
frost killed the plants

When is murder a more appropriate choice than assassinate?

The synonyms murder and assassinate are sometimes interchangeable, but murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

When could slay be used to replace assassinate?

The words slay and assassinate can be used in similar contexts, but slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

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 assassinate April 25, 2025 In late 2023, Israel was aiming to assassinate Ibrahim Biari, a top Hamas commander in the northern Gaza Strip who had helped plan the Oct. 7 massacres. Sheera Frenkel, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025 Kennedy’s brother was John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States who was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. Josh Funk and Haya Panjwani, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025 After years of battling intimidation, threats and even a poisoning, she was assassinated outside the elevator of her Moscow apartment in 2005. Alex Ritman, Variety, 2 May 2025 In December 2024, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s radiological, chemical, and biological defense forces, was assassinated in Moscow. Roseanne McManus, Foreign Affairs, 28 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for assassinate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assassinate
Verb
  • They were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering their father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
    Jaimie Ding, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2025
  • Fred & Rose West: A British Horror Story focuses on the dark true story of two married serial killers who abused, raped, and murdered several young women and girls, including their own children, in the Gloucester area between 1967 and 1987.
    Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 14 May 2025
Verb
  • Karen Carter, 65, was discovered slain in Dordogne, in southwestern France, on April 29, the BBC reported, citing the state prosecutor.
    Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 7 May 2025
  • The number of people slain so far in 2025: 116. Chicago homicides, by year Data for 2025 is updated through April 30, 2025.
    Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 2025
Verb
  • Action: Recommending or autonomously executing optimal decisions based on those insights Think of intelligence as foresight, like knowing product demand will spike next week.
    Keith Moore, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
  • Vulnerabilities result from programming errors found in webserver software that, when exploited, allow attackers to execute malicious code in the browsers of people visiting an affected website.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2025
Verb
  • After a preliminary investigation, authorities determined the father fatally stabbed his sons and wife before killing himself.
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 13 May 2025
  • Navigating Pricing Complexity Pricing complexity can kill B2B growth.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Assassinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assassinate. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

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