- to murder (a person, esp a public or political figure), usually by a surprise attack
- to ruin or harm (a person's reputation, etc) by slander
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
as•sas•si•nate /əˈsæsəˌneɪt/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object], -nat•ed, -nat•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to kill (someone) for hire or from fanaticism.
- to harm viciously:to assassinate a person's character.
as•sas•si•nate
(ə sas′ə nāt′),USA pronunciation v.t., -nat•ed, -nat•ing.
as•sas′si•na′tion, n.
as•sas′si•na′tive, adj.
as•sas′si•na′tor, n.
- to kill suddenly or secretively, esp. a politically prominent person;
murder premeditatedly and treacherously. - to destroy or harm treacherously and viciously:to assassinate a person's character.
- assassin + -ate1 1590–1600
as•sas′si•na′tive, adj.
as•sas′si•na′tor, n.
- 1. . slay.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
assassinate /əˈsæsɪˌneɪt/ vb (transitive)
'assassinate' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):