assassin

/əˈsæsɪn/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈsæsn/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈsa-sᵊn/ (ame, mw)

assassin — noun

  • assassinsingular
  • assassinsplural

1. someone who plans the killing of a public leader or other high-profile figure, o

1.名詞B2
釋義

someone who plans the killing of a public leader or other high-profile figure, often for payment or political aims.

例句

The assassin waited on the hotel roof before the president arrived.

typical target: a president or leader

Police arrested the assassin after the mayor's bodyguards recognized him.

同義詞
  • hitman

    more informal and strongly suggests being hired for payment

  • murderer

    broader term for anyone who commits murder; it does not imply an important target

  • killer

    very general and much less specific about motive or target

反義詞
  • bodyguard

    someone employed to protect an important person from attack

用法筆記

Usually refers to a planned attack on an important target, not an ordinary killing in a private argument.

常見錯誤

❌The police caught the assassin who killed his neighbor in a fight.
✅The police caught the murderer who killed his neighbor in a fight.
💡'assassin' usually suggests a planned killing of an important target, not an ordinary personal dispute.

2. a follower of the Shia Muslim sect that became feared in the Crusades for secret

2.名詞C1
釋義

a follower of the Shia Muslim sect that became feared in the Crusades for secret attacks on powerful enemies.

例句

The history book describes an assassin from the sect entering the enemy camp.

historical sense: member of a sect

During the Crusades, people feared the assassins because of their secret attacks.

用法筆記

Historical sense only. It names members of a particular sect during the Crusades, not modern hired killers.