ASSASSINATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does assassinate mean? 

• ASSASSINATE (verb)
  The verb ASSASSINATE has 2 senses:

1. murder; especially of socially prominent persons

2. destroy or damage seriously, as of someone's reputation

  Familiarity information: ASSASSINATE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ASSASSINATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they assassinate    ... he / she / it assassinates   
Past simple: assassinated   
Past participle: assassinated   
-ing form: assassinating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Murder; especially of socially prominent persons

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Context example:

Anwar Sadat was assassinated because many people did not like his peace politics with Israel

Hypernyms (to "assassinate" is one way to...):

kill (cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

assassin (a murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed)

assassination (murder of a public figure by surprise attack)

assassinator (a murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Destroy or damage seriously, as of someone's reputation

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

He assassinated his enemy's character

Hypernyms (to "assassinate" is one way to...):

asperse; besmirch; calumniate; defame; denigrate; slander; smear; smirch; sully (charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

assassination (an attack intended to ruin someone's reputation)

 Context examples 

William and Justine were assassinated, and the murderer escapes; he walks about the world free, and perhaps respected.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)