Meaning & use
assassinate
To murder an important or prominent person, typically for political or ideological reasons.
See it in a sentence
Conspirators plotted for months to assassinate the emperor during a public ceremony.
The report examined how easily security failures allowed someone to assassinate the senator.
A note on using this word
Usually reserved for killing a politically or socially prominent figure, distinguishing it from ordinary murder.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Another way to use it
2. verb
To attack and damage someone's reputation or character through false or malicious claims.
Rival campaigns tried to assassinate his character with a barrage of misleading advertisements.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “assassinate”, then compare your use with the examples above.