assassin
assassins
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
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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”
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synonyms:
assassinator, bravo
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examples:
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John Wilkes Booth
United States actor and assassin of President Lincoln (1838-1865)
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Lee Harvey Oswald
United States assassin of President John F. Kennedy (1939-1963)
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type of:
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liquidator, manslayer, murderer
a criminal who commits homicide (who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being)
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John Wilkes Booth
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a member of a militant Muslim sect known during the Crusades for murdering enemies
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘assassin'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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