hit man

noun

Definition of hit mannext
1
as in torpedo

Related Words

Relevance
2
as in hired gun

Related Words

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 hit man The prosecutors described a pyramid of murder and impunity with Duterte at the apex, police and civilian officials in the middle, and low-level policemen, police assets, and hit men at the bottom. — Sheila Coronel, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026 Dust Bunny is the story of a young girl who asks Mikkelsen's character, a hit man, to take care of a monster under her bed. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026 In Ben Wheatley's brilliant and blistering work, a British soldier returns home and embarks on a career as a hit man, finding strange little details while on his various jobs. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025 In 2017, the Gardaí received a tip that the Kinahans had hired Imre Arakas, an Estonian hit man known as the Butcher, to murder James Gately, a member of the Hutch gang who lived in Belfast. — Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hit man
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hit man
  1. torpedo
  2. hired gun
  3. murderer
  4. hatchet man
  5. assassin
Noun
  • The Waco, Texas, native died in 1943 during a Japanese torpedo attack in the Pacific.
    — Michael Loria, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The third season ended with Kate discovering the plot orchestrated by Hal and President Grace (Janney) to steal a dangerous Russian nuclear torpedo — a plot she is now implicated in.
    — Mya Copeland, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of torpedo
Noun
  • That would be impressive enough, but don’t forget that year’s edition of the team also had UFA hired guns Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull.
    — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Every four years, ambitious consultants and hired guns sit down with aspiring presidents and sell them a lie.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 17 Aug. 2023
Definition of hired gun
Noun
  • Triple-murderer Erin Patterson appealed her convictions Wednesday for poisoning four of her estranged husband’s relatives with death cap mushrooms.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • If the murderer was at the door, the truth must nonetheless be told, whatever the consequences.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of murderer
Noun
  • While he was sent by the White House to be a hatchet man, Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, should use a scalpel with care, conducting a real, legitimate probe that seeks ways to save money for taxpayers and improve outcomes for patients.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2026
  • In 2010, the duo separated, going opposite directions; Malice sought repentance through the church while Pusha became a hatchet man for Kanye West.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
Definition of hatchet man
Noun
  • Later, an assassin posing as River arrives at the home of David Cartwright (River’s grandfather) to kill him but is shot by David instead.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Clive Owen and other assassins pursue them through the streets of Europe.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of assassin

Browse Nearby Words

hit it off
hit man
hit men
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hit man.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hit%20man. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of tilde

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All