kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.
killed in an accident
frost killed the plants
slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.
slew thousands of the Philistines
murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.
convicted of murdering a rival
assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.
terrorists assassinated the Senator
dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.
dispatched the sentry with one bullet
execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.
executed by lethal gas
Example Sentences
They discovered a secret plot to assassinate the governor. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.
Recent Examples on the WebIran also continues to foment trouble throughout the Middle East and attempt to assassinate former U.S. officials such as John Bolton and Iranian exiles who criticize the regime. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 29 Aug. 2022 In 1957, Genovese tried (and failed) to assassinate Costello, who was ultimately injured and attempted to retire from the mafia. Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 16 Aug. 2022 In 1957, Genovese tried (and failed) to assassinate Costello, who was ultimately injured and attempted to retire from the mafia. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 16 Aug. 2022 In 2010, these Soros conspiracy theories drove a man to attempt to assassinate staff at a foundation that Beck had attacked for its associations with Soros. Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 11 Aug. 2022 Biden’s desire to avoid civilian casualties, and the obvious lack of damage a conventional Hellfire warhead would inflict on a building, suggests the R-9X was used to assassinate al-Zawahiri. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 4 Aug. 2022 Phillips pointed to a 2011 plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., noting that Iranian agents sought to partner with a Mexican drug cartel to carry out the plot on U.S. soil. Michael Lee, Fox News, 2 Aug. 2022 His Jihad Group initiated a series of plots in the early 1980s to assassinate Egyptian leaders and played a role in the slaying of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat on Oct. 6, 1981. Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2022 The agency is probing whether the suspect, federally charged with possession of a firearm that lacked a visible serial number, was there as part of a possible plot to neutralize or assassinate Masih Alinejad, two law enforcement sources said. Ken Dilanian, NBC News, 1 Aug. 2022 See More