noun
assassin
uh-SA-sihn
noun
1
A person who kills someone deliberately, especially a public or political figure, often for money or political reasons.
"The assassin was hired to kill the senator."
"Historians still debate whether the assassin acted alone."
How to Use Assassin
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomeone who kills a person on purpose, especially a well-known or powerful target.
Common mistake
An assassin specifically targets someone important or does the killing for hire or political motive; an assailant is simply anyone who attacks a person.
Easily confused with
Word Forms
assassined past tense, assassins plural, assassins singular
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The _____ was hired to kill the senator.
Etymology
Traced to Arabic terms linked to a medieval sect and, in popular legend, to hashish users — the word passed into English through French and Italian.