Definition

Verb: 1. To assassinate: To murder (a prominent person, often a political or public figure) by sudden or secret attack, usually for political or ideological reasons. This implies premeditation and a specific, targeted victim. 2. To murder secretly / To kill by stealth: To kill someone in a secret, treacherous, or underhanded manner, typically with prior planning.

Usage

The verb ám sát is used to describe the deliberate, secretive killing of a specific individual, often of public importance. It is a transitive verb and requires a direct object (the person who is assassinated). - The structure is typically: Subject + ám sát + Target. - It can be used in the passive voice: bị ám sát (to be assassinated).

Usage Examples

• Active Voice:
  • Kẻ khủng bố âm mưu ám sát tổng thống. (The terrorist plotted to assassinate the president.)
  • Hắn đã bị kết tội vì ám sát một nhà lãnh đạo phe đối lập. (He was convicted for assassinating an opposition leader.)
• Passive Voice:
  • Nhà báo đó đã bị ám sát vào sáng nay. (That journalist was assassinated this morning.)
  • May mắn thay, ông ấy đã bị ám sát hụt. (Fortunately, he escaped being assassinated / he survived an assassination attempt.)

Advanced Usage

• ám sát hụt / ám sát không thành: A failed assassination attempt.
  • Vụ ám sát hụt đã gây chấn động cả nước. (The failed assassination attempt shocked the entire nation.)
• Vụ ám sát (noun phrase): The assassination (event/case).
  • Cảnh sát đang điều tra vụ ám sát. (The police are investigating the assassination.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sát hại (verb): To kill, to slay. (A more general term for killing, without the necessary connotation of secrecy or political motive associated with ám sát).
• Ám hại (verb): To harm or kill someone secretly through scheming or treachery. (Broader than ám sát, can include non-lethal harm).
• Ám toán (verb, literary/archaic): An older, synonymous term for ám sát.

Synonyms

• Giết người có chủ đích / Giết người chính trị: To murder with intent / political murder. (These are descriptive phrases, not single-word synonyms).
• Hạ sát (verb): To kill, to take down. (Can be used in similar contexts but is less specific about the method).

Related Phrases / Compound Nouns

• Kẻ ám sát / Tên ám sát (noun): Assassin, hitman.
  • Kẻ ám sát đã bị bắt ngay tại hiện trường. (The assassin was caught at the scene.)
• Âm mưu ám sát (noun phrase): Assassination plot.
  • Cơ quan tình báo đã phá được một âm mưu ám sát. (The intelligence agency foiled an assassination plot.)
• Vật ám sát (noun phrase): Weapon used for assassination.
• Thuê ám sát (verb phrase): To hire an assassin.

verb

1. To assassinate
   • bị ám sát hụt
     to escape being assassinated (assassination)