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assassin

An assassin is someone who murders an important political or religious leader. Brutus is one of the most infamous assassins in history. He murdered Julius Caesar, who ruled Rome in the first century B.C.

The word assassin, pronounced "uh-SASS-in," describes a person who murders a prominent person, like a political or religious leader. Often, this person is hired to kill, though he or she might act on personal motivations. To correctly spell assassin, remember that it has two double s's.

DEFINITIONS OF: assassin

1

n a member of a secret order of Muslims (founded in the 12th century) who terrorized and killed Christian Crusaders

Type of:
Moslem, Muslim
a believer in or follower of Islam

n a murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed

“his assassins were hunted down like animals”
Synonyms:
assassinator, bravo
Examples:
John Wilkes Booth
United States actor and assassin of President Lincoln (1838-1865)
Lee Harvey Oswald
United States assassin of President John F. Kennedy (1939-1963)
Type of:
liquidator, manslayer, murderer
a criminal who commits homicide (who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being)
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