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 Tim Evans | Reuters Federal prosecutors on Monday charged the man accused of assassinating a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, and shooting another lawmaker and his wife, with six federal counts, including stalking, murder and firearms offenses. Erin Doherty, CNBC, 16 June 2025 Musk first announced his support for Trump shortly after the then-candidate was nearly assassinated on stage at a Pennsylvania rally last July. Arkansas Online, 6 June 2025 This time, he’s tasked with assassinating a powerful member of a secret society of international crime bosses known as the High Table. Emily Blackwood, People.com, 6 June 2025 The film begins with Milk’s arrival in San Francisco, tracing his political ascendancy as the first out gay man to be elected to public office before being tragically assassinated, along with Mayor George Moscone, by city supervisor Dan White in 1978. Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for assassinate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assassinate
Verb
  • Richard Veasey, The Future Lasts Forever: A Memoir The French political theorist Althusser famously murdered his wife and, deemed mentally unfit, avoided a trial and was assigned a guardian.
    Diana Arterian June 20, Literary Hub, 20 June 2025
  • Gi-hun’s Kill Count Plenty of players are content to dispense with societal decorum and start fully murdering each other in the Games — but not Gi-hun.
    Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 18 June 2025
Verb
  • Parker also stars in How to Train Your Dragon as Astrid, a teen Viking who at first is a rival of Hiccup’s during dragon slaying training but eventually becomes an ally of Hiccup and Toothless.
    Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025
  • Their purpose was to slay dragons, so Watkins carried that lore into his designs.
    Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 14 June 2025
Verb
  • Up next, the bank is working on providing users the ability to execute after-hours stock trades, Vienick said.
    Hugh Son, CNBC, 20 June 2025
  • But the next challenge will be executing those plans.
    Adam Rasmi, Time, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • After the Challenger disaster in 1986, when a space shuttle exploded just 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven crew members, public support for NASA plummeted.
    Avery Padraic Kerrigan, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2025
  • Iran restricted its citizens’ internet access after Israel’s initial strike on the country killed several top military commanders and nuclear scientists while also damaging nuclear sites.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 17 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Assassinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assassinate. Accessed 28 Jun. 2025.

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