assassin

noun

as·​sas·​sin ə-ˈsa-sᵊn How to pronounce assassin (audio)
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The pint-sized assassin pulls a gun out of her fuzzy heart throw pillow and gets to work. Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 18 Feb. 2025 Assassin's Creed Shadows continues the everlasting war between noble assassins and shifty templars. Jordan Minor, PCMAG, 13 Feb. 2025 Polls show skepticism remains about lone assassin theory The Justice Department and other federal government entities have reaffirmed conclusions that Oswald was solely responsible for the killing of the former president. Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2025 Adapted by Ronan Bennett from the hit Frederick Forsyth novel, Season 1 of The Day of the Jackal follows an unrivaled and highly elusive lone assassin, the Jackal (Redmayne), who makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. Katie Campione, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for assassin

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of assassin was circa 1520

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Cite this Entry

“Assassin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assassin. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

assassin

noun
as·​sas·​sin ə-ˈsas-ən How to pronounce assassin (audio)
: a person who kills another person
especially : one who murders a politically important person either for pay or from loyalty to a cause

More from Merriam-Webster on assassin

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