assassinate

verb

as·​sas·​si·​nate ə-ˈsa-sə-ˌnāt How to pronounce assassinate (audio)
assassinated; assassinating

transitive verb

1
: to murder (a usually prominent person) by sudden or secret attack often for political reasons
a plot to assassinate the governor
2
: to injure or destroy unexpectedly and treacherously
assassinate a man's character
assassinator noun
Choose the Right Synonym for assassinate

kill, slay, murder, assassinate, dispatch, execute mean to deprive of life.

kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident
frost killed the plants

slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

Examples of assassinate in a Sentence

They discovered a secret plot to assassinate the governor. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.
Recent Examples on the Web When her secret lover Jason (Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Lancashire), calls in Helen’s old friend Sam (Whishaw) to keep her safe. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 Mar. 2024 The head of the local emergency committee, Nidal al-Eid, was assassinated last week. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024 In the midst of political upheaval not seen since the country’s president was assassinated in 2021, Haiti’s prime minister, Ariel Henry, agreed to step down. Frances Robles, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Sixteenth president of the United States, assassinated five days after the end of the Civil War at Ford’s Theatre. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Considering the turmoil of Paul’s short reign (he was assassinated by his own officers in 1801) and the wealth the princess had accumulated from her various properties and positions, this was hardly a staggering punishment. E.r. Zarevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2024 March 15 is the Ides of March, which any Shakespeare fan will tell you is when Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of Roman senators. Andrew Torgan, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 The White House then appeared to formally acknowledge that the government believes Prigozhin was assassinated by Putin. Greg Norman, Fox News, 16 Feb. 2024 In retaliation, two Sikhs working as guards for the prime minister assassinated her. Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assassinate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see assassin

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of assassinate was in 1600

Dictionary Entries Near assassinate

Cite this Entry

“Assassinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assassinate. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

assassinate

verb
as·​sas·​si·​nate ə-ˈsas-ᵊn-ˌāt How to pronounce assassinate (audio)
assassinated; assassinating
: to murder a usually important person by a surprise or secret attack
assassination noun

More from Merriam-Webster on assassinate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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