assassin

noun

ə-ˈsa-sᵊn How to pronounce assassin (audio)
Definition of assassinnext
as in murderer
a person who kills another person shot down by an unknown assassin

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of assassin Meanwhile, Clive Owen and other assassins pursue them through the streets of Europe. — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026 Many of Ellis’s most awful characters are the most conventionally attractive, their looks serving as a shield against their various crimes; Murphy co-created The Beauty, in which tech moguls and assassins kill to be beautiful. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2026 César Gastélum, 25, who was shot dead late Tuesday — apparently targeted by assassins on a motorcycle — had hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok and other platforms. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026 Married assassin Yoo Bo Na (played by Gong Hyo Jin, who’s returning to MBC after 15 years) is back to her vigilante ways after a break, but has to evade potential discovery by her husband, an investigative journalist. — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for assassin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assassin
  1. murderer
  2. killer
Noun
  • Austin Metcalf's father is speaking out for the first time after a judge denied denied his son's murderer -- Karmelo Anthony -- a request for a new trial for the fatal stabbing at a Texas high school track meet.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Buzzkill centers on a group of sorority sisters who end up trapped with a murderer.
    — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of murderer
Noun
  • Furious, a thriller about a female FBI agent tracking a female serial killer loosely inspired by the 1987 movie Black Widow, was not the most obvious next step for her.
    — Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The biggest bear killers by far in Central Florida are motor vehicles, blamed for killing 1,545 bears in the region in the past 10 years, including 219 in 2025, the most since 2021 when 242 bears died on the region’s roadways.
    — Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of killer

Browse Nearby Words

assails
assassin
assassinate
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Cite this Entry

“Assassin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assassin. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on assassin

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about assassin

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