as in murderers
a person who kills another person
shot down by an unknown assassin
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Recent Examples of assassins
After diplomatic negotiations, the Iranian state called off its assassins in 1998.
—
Anderson Cooper, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
One week later, on May 15, assassins forced Valdez, 50, from his car at midday and shot him at least a dozen times in downtown Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa state.
—Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Based on the novel by Stephen King, The Running Man is a dystopian sci-fi movie about a reality TV show where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
In the first season of action thriller A Shop For Killers, Kim Hye-jun starred as Jeong Ji-an, a college student who must fight off a bevy of highly skilled assassins while trying to get to the bottom of her uncle’s death.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
The internet has the ability to create assassins and sway elections and destroy families, to waste our time and wreck our life.
—Gideon Leek, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
When a father seeking vengeance, an American operative experiencing a string of bad luck, and several independent assassins hailing from around the world all end up on the same bullet train bound for Kyoto, the results are violent — and the survivors minimal.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
The situation gets more complex with the addition of a bunch of oddball assassins trying to murder the neighbor, plus other mysterious and shady types like his former associate Laverne (Weaver).
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
Some bowlers are just smiling assassins.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
Anderson Cooper, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
One week later, on May 15, assassins forced Valdez, 50, from his car at midday and shot him at least a dozen times in downtown Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa state.
—Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Based on the novel by Stephen King, The Running Man is a dystopian sci-fi movie about a reality TV show where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
In the first season of action thriller A Shop For Killers, Kim Hye-jun starred as Jeong Ji-an, a college student who must fight off a bevy of highly skilled assassins while trying to get to the bottom of her uncle’s death.
—Kayti Burt, Time, 14 Jan. 2026
The internet has the ability to create assassins and sway elections and destroy families, to waste our time and wreck our life.
—Gideon Leek, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
When a father seeking vengeance, an American operative experiencing a string of bad luck, and several independent assassins hailing from around the world all end up on the same bullet train bound for Kyoto, the results are violent — and the survivors minimal.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
The situation gets more complex with the addition of a bunch of oddball assassins trying to murder the neighbor, plus other mysterious and shady types like his former associate Laverne (Weaver).
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
Some bowlers are just smiling assassins.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assassins
Noun
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In the original, Hanks’ character is driven to madness, imagining that his neighbors in the creepy house across the street might be murderers.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
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Rapists, murderers, and drug traffickers do not announce themselves or surrender voluntarily.—
Eric Balliet,
Denver Post,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Inspectors saw one roach on the wall and noted the presence of household roach killers, which are not approved for use in food facilities, according to the inspection report.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Feb. 2026
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The Blackhawks think very highly of Mikheyev, who has emerged as one of the league’s very best penalty killers and a solid depth scorer, with 20 goals last season and is coming off a four-point night (one goal and three primary assists) in a 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Monday night.—
Scott Powers,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Assassins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assassins. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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