as in murdering
to put to death deliberately
President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth
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Recent Examples of assassinating
The presiding judge in the case against Tyler Robinson, accused of assassinating conservative icon Charlie Kirk last September, will rule on a critical defense motion today.
—
Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Harry Jacobs, who was recently named head of the office's criminal division, was also involved in the prosecution of Vance Boelter, the man accused of assassinating former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Days later, Trump, much to the surprise of even his own advisers, responded by assassinating Iran’s top military commander, Qassem Soleimani, in Iraq.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
In Michocán in the fall, the Jalisco cartel is accused of assassinating a prominent mayor who had vowed to hold criminals accountable.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
When Oswald is moments away from assassinating JFK, Jake intervenes and fatally shoots Oswald, stopping the assassination from happening.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Another 33 hours passed before law enforcement arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, the defendant now facing a possible death sentence if found guilty by a jury in Utah for allegedly assassinating Kirk.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 15 Dec. 2025
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson a year ago, returns to court this week as his lawyers ask a Manhattan judge to toss out some evidence in the case.
—NPR, 1 Dec. 2025
But Ukraine has claimed responsibility for assassinating Russian officials in the past, including a commander killed last month in Siberia.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 14 Nov. 2025
Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Harry Jacobs, who was recently named head of the office's criminal division, was also involved in the prosecution of Vance Boelter, the man accused of assassinating former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Days later, Trump, much to the surprise of even his own advisers, responded by assassinating Iran’s top military commander, Qassem Soleimani, in Iraq.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
In Michocán in the fall, the Jalisco cartel is accused of assassinating a prominent mayor who had vowed to hold criminals accountable.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
When Oswald is moments away from assassinating JFK, Jake intervenes and fatally shoots Oswald, stopping the assassination from happening.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Another 33 hours passed before law enforcement arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, the defendant now facing a possible death sentence if found guilty by a jury in Utah for allegedly assassinating Kirk.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 15 Dec. 2025
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson a year ago, returns to court this week as his lawyers ask a Manhattan judge to toss out some evidence in the case.
—NPR, 1 Dec. 2025
But Ukraine has claimed responsibility for assassinating Russian officials in the past, including a commander killed last month in Siberia.
—Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 14 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assassinating
Verb
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Each night, the traitors eliminate one faithful by figuratively murdering them, ending their time on the show.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
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People being selfish, people being greedy, people murdering other people, people kidnapping other people, taking advantage of women, people taking advantage of children, all of this awful stuff.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The 16-year-old son of slaying victim Yesenia Hall heard his mom’s screams from the bedroom of their third-floor apartment early Saturday.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2026
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Robert Early Madden, 37, was found guilty by a San Diego Superior Court jury of first-degree murder and a special circumstance allegation of committing the killing during a robbery for the July 15, 2024, slaying of 38-year-old Senait Legesse.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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While some agencies dominate headlines with splashy launches, JAXA often works with a quiet precision that suddenly produces something extraordinary — a spacecraft touching down on an asteroid, a lunar lander executing a daring maneuver, or a new instrument revealing the universe in sharper detail.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
3 Mar. 2026
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And imagine nations commanding drone swarms and robot dog packs capable of making decisions and executing missions without human intervention.—
Eric Schmidt,
Time,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Assassinating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assassinating. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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