assassination
noun
as·sas·si·na·tion
ə-ˌsa-sə-ˈnā-shən 
plural assassinations
1
: murder by sudden or secret attack often for political reasons : the act or an instance of assassinating someone (such as a prominent political leader)
the assassination of Abraham Lincoln
an assassination attempt
In medieval days, assassination by poisoning was common enough to alarm many a king, and protection was sought in the form of prayers, food tasters and science.—
The New York Times
The New York Times2
: treacherous destruction of a person's reputation
character assassination
Examples of assassination in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Taken into custody following an assassination attempt on the Gotham mayor (Nestor Carbonell) during the funeral of Police Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb (Colin McFarlane), District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) threatens to shoot Schiff until Batman (Christian Bale) intervenes.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Nick Offerman's General Sydney also dies, uh, rather abruptly after saving President Sloane (Angela Bassett) from a situation-room assassination attempt.
—EW.com, 23 May 2025
Most notably, Trump survived an assassination attempt during his election campaign in July 2024, with a bullet grazing his ear.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 22 May 2025
Three perpetrators were apprehended and sentenced to up to 35 years in prison.
NOVEMBER 1979
An assassination attempt was carried out on Israeli Ambassador Ephraim Eldar in Lisbon, Portugal on November 13, 1979.
—Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2025
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Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Nick Offerman's General Sydney also dies, uh, rather abruptly after saving President Sloane (Angela Bassett) from a situation-room assassination attempt.
—EW.com, 23 May 2025
Most notably, Trump survived an assassination attempt during his election campaign in July 2024, with a bullet grazing his ear.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 22 May 2025
Three perpetrators were apprehended and sentenced to up to 35 years in prison.
NOVEMBER 1979
An assassination attempt was carried out on Israeli Ambassador Ephraim Eldar in Lisbon, Portugal on November 13, 1979.
—Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for assassination
Cite this Entry
“Assassination.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assassination. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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