assassin

noun

as·​sas·​sin ə-ˈsa-sᵊn 

1

: a person who commits murder

especially : one who murders a politically important person either for money or from fanatical adherence to a cause

2

Assassin : a member of a Shia Muslim sect who at the time of the Crusades was sent out on a suicidal mission to murder prominent enemies

Synonyms

• murderer
• killer

Examples of assassin in a Sentence

John Wilkes Booth was the assassin of Abraham Lincoln.

shot down by an unknown assassin

Recent Examples on the Web

PlayStation 5 Games Deals The Assassin's Creed franchise has been a staple in gaming consoles for nearly 20 years now, and Shadows, the latest iteration, furthers that tradition with a game that puts players behind Naoe, a shinobi assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai. —PC Magazine, 11 July 2025

The details of how these would-be assassins got so close are still shrouded in mystery. —Jenny Goldsberry, The Washington Examiner, 10 July 2025

In the aftermath of the shooting, an independent review by the Department of Homeland Security showed a series of law enforcement breakdowns had created an environment that left Trump vulnerable to a would-be assassin. —Josh Margolin, ABC News, 9 July 2025

However, others tycoons, foreign terrorists and a group of assassins are also looking to take Korda down. —Rudie Obias, HollywoodReporter, 9 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin assassinus, from Arabic ḥashshāshīn, plural of ḥashshāsh worthless person, literally, hashish user, from hashīsh hashish

First Known Use

circa 1520, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing assassin

• assassin bug

Rhymes for assassin

• unfasten
• bason
• casson
• fasten
• cytochalasin
• diapason

Kids Definition

assassin

noun

as·​sas·​sin ə-ˈsas-ən 

: a person who kills another person

especially : one who murders a politically important person either for pay or from loyalty to a cause