hit man

noun

Definition of hit mannext
1
as in torpedo

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2
as in hired gun

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hit man The prosecutors described a pyramid of murder and impunity with Duterte at the apex, police and civilian officials in the middle, and low-level policemen, police assets, and hit men at the bottom. — Sheila Coronel, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026 Dust Bunny is the story of a young girl who asks Mikkelsen's character, a hit man, to take care of a monster under her bed. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026 In Ben Wheatley's brilliant and blistering work, a British soldier returns home and embarks on a career as a hit man, finding strange little details while on his various jobs. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025 In 2017, the Gardaí received a tip that the Kinahans had hired Imre Arakas, an Estonian hit man known as the Butcher, to murder James Gately, a member of the Hutch gang who lived in Belfast. — Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hit man
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hit man
  1. torpedo
  2. hired gun
  3. murderer
  4. hatchet man
  5. assassin
Noun
  • The lifeguard was using a rescue torpedo in the water when a white shark grabbed the rescue buoy and pulled him underwater.
    — Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Power systems for the MK48 torpedo The first award exercises the fourth option year of an existing contract supporting the MK48 Mod 7 Heavyweight Torpedo program.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of torpedo
Noun
  • That would be impressive enough, but don’t forget that year’s edition of the team also had UFA hired guns Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull.
    — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Every four years, ambitious consultants and hired guns sit down with aspiring presidents and sell them a lie.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 17 Aug. 2023
Definition of hired gun
Noun
  • One woman picketed Doyle’s home with a sign branding him a murderer.
    — Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
  • For a certain type of person, having a terrible time at a party can feel like being pursued by an axe murderer.
    — Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of murderer
Noun
  • While he was sent by the White House to be a hatchet man, Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, should use a scalpel with care, conducting a real, legitimate probe that seeks ways to save money for taxpayers and improve outcomes for patients.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2026
  • In 2010, the duo separated, going opposite directions; Malice sought repentance through the church while Pusha became a hatchet man for Kanye West.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2025
Definition of hatchet man
Noun
  • Sharlto Copley brings ferocious life to his role as an assassin, setting a record in the process for the most times one person can have his head explode in a single film.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Created by Tessa Coates, Ride Or Die centers on an assassin, Judith (Waddingham), whose best friend of more than 20 years, MP’s wife Debbie (Spencer), is pulled into her latest case.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of assassin

Browse Nearby Words

hit it off
hit man
hit men
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Cite this Entry

“Hit man.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hit%20man. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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