assassinate — to murder (a prominent person) for political or religious reasons
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to murder (a prominent person) for political or religious reasons
Pronunciation (IPA): /əˈsæsɪneɪt/
Example Sentences
- The villain in the movie tried to assassinate the superhero with a banana gun.
- Historical records show that many attempts were made to assassinate the tyrant.
- The media can assassinate a politician's reputation faster than any bullet.
assassinate
VERB[/əˈsæsɪneɪt/]
to murder (a prominent person) for political or religious reasons

The arrogant king proudly waved to the crowd, unaware of the dark shadow preparing to assassinate him from behind.

ASSASSIN(killer) + ATE(eat) — the dark ASSASSIN smiled as the greedy king ATE the poisoned apple, completing the plan to assassinate him.

The beautiful dancer used magic to fascinate the guards, allowing the shadow to assassinate the cruel king.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The word derives from Arabic hashishin, referring to members of an 11th-century militant organization in the Middle East who were reportedly administered hashish before carrying out assassinations. The term entered Medieval Latin as assassinus and subsequently evolved into the English verb assassinate.
Breakdown
Arabic hashishin (those who use hashish) + Latin suffix -ate (verb-forming suffix) = assassinate. The root hashishin was Latinized to assassinus before receiving the English verbal suffix -ate.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The villain in the movie tried to assassinate the superhero with a banana gun.”
“Historical records show that many attempts were made to assassinate the tyrant.”
“The media can assassinate a politician's reputation faster than any bullet.”
“My diet was completely assassinated by that chocolate cake at the party.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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