1
capitalized
: 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
2
: a person who commits murder
especially
: one who murders a politically important person either for money or from fanatical adherence to a cause
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
Pecker said that a popular 2016 conspiracy about Cruz's father being linked with JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was completely made up by his tabloid.
—
Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
The thousand-yard-stare narration spoken by the film’s Marlow figure, the assassin Captain Willard (played by Martin Sheen), was written by Vietnam War correspondent Michael Herr, author of Dispatches, published in 1977.
—Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2024
Children as young as 13 have been deployed as assassins.
—Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024
Elly works alongside the real spy Aidan, played by Rockwell, on a globe-trotting mission full of assassins, deception, betrayal and a global crisis.
—Lexi Carson, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
Brad Pitt plays an unconventional career criminal whose quest to retrieve a briefcase of cash is sidelined by gangsters, assassins (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry), and fancy toilets.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 2 Apr. 2024
MacNeil was transferred to NBC’s Washington bureau in 1963 during the Kennedy administration and reported extensively from Dallas when President John F. Kennedy was killed by an assassin.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Early talks between American and German officials explored whether Berlin would be willing to let the assassin go if Russia released the opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny in addition to Mr. Gershkovich and Mr. Whelan.
—Katie Robertson, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Pugh plays assassin Yelena Belova in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
—Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024
The thousand-yard-stare narration spoken by the film’s Marlow figure, the assassin Captain Willard (played by Martin Sheen), was written by Vietnam War correspondent Michael Herr, author of Dispatches, published in 1977.
—Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2024
Children as young as 13 have been deployed as assassins.
—Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024
Elly works alongside the real spy Aidan, played by Rockwell, on a globe-trotting mission full of assassins, deception, betrayal and a global crisis.
—Lexi Carson, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
Brad Pitt plays an unconventional career criminal whose quest to retrieve a briefcase of cash is sidelined by gangsters, assassins (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry), and fancy toilets.
—Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 2 Apr. 2024
MacNeil was transferred to NBC’s Washington bureau in 1963 during the Kennedy administration and reported extensively from Dallas when President John F. Kennedy was killed by an assassin.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Early talks between American and German officials explored whether Berlin would be willing to let the assassin go if Russia released the opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny in addition to Mr. Gershkovich and Mr. Whelan.
—Katie Robertson, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Pugh plays assassin Yelena Belova in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
—Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assassin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Assassin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assassin. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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