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 That ornery cleric was Moqtada al-Sadr, the son of Mohammad Sadiq al-Sadr, a grand ayatollah assassinated almost certainly by Saddam’s order in 1999. Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025 Israel has assassinated many of Hamas’ top military and political leadership. Wafaa Shurafa, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025 The opening segment in which a key Soviet figure gets assassinated is one the highlights in an uneven mix of dirty spy games tied to a shadowy American spy organization called Caddis and family dysfunction of two broods. Randy Myers, Mercury News, 30 Aug. 2025 Village League representatives were assassinated by activists, and most of the Palestinian population continued to regard the PLO (and the various political factions that constituted it) as their sole legitimate representative, despite its illegality. Literary Hub august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for assassinate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assassinate
Verb
  • The series premiere ends, however, on a much softer note, as Robbie and Cliff run into the young Sam, the couple's son who was sleeping in the basement while his parents were murdered upstairs.
    Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Prosecutors allege Prowell murdered King, then stole the victim's vehicle, which was found more than a week later, several miles from Prowell's home.
    Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Mangione is accused of slaying UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson late last year.
    Jonathan Alpert, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Men and boys have been targeted and slain on ethnic grounds.
    Jade Walker, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The move would mark an important milestone for Nvidia -backed Cohesity, which shelved IPO plans in 2021 to first execute a complex merger with its rival Veritas’ data protection unit, according to Cohesity CEO Sanjay Poonen.
    Ganesh Rao, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Spence was responsible for developing and executing all communications strategies for the entertainment company and its portfolio of businesses including television and film studio MRC, including Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter, data company Luminate, and Dick Clark Productions.
    Leia Mendoza, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Over the past two months, Texans have used green ribbons with bows to commemorate the lives lost in the July 4 Hill Country flooding, which killed more than 100 people, including more than two dozen girls and counselors from Camp Mystic in Hunt.
    Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Jerry Jeudy makes far too much money to wreck possessions with two drops, one that killed a drive and another that resulted in a crushing interception.
    Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Assassinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assassinate. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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