Definition

1. Noun:
   • A murder carried out on agreement with a hired killer: The act of killing a specific person, which is arranged and paid for by someone else. It is a premeditated crime where the person who wants the victim dead (the client) hires a professional killer (the hitman or assassin) to perform the murder.

Usage

• The term "contract killing" is used to describe the specific criminal act itself, not the person who commits it or the person who orders it. It emphasizes the transactional, business-like nature of the murder.
• It is typically used in legal, journalistic, and law enforcement contexts.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The police investigation revealed that the victim's death was not a random act of violence but a professional contract killing.
  • The gang leader was charged with ordering a contract killing on a rival.
  • In the movie, the mob boss arranges a contract killing to eliminate a witness.

Advanced Usage

• "To put out a contract on someone": This is an idiomatic phrase meaning to arrange for a contract killing against a specific person.
  • Fearing he would talk to the police, the criminal put out a contract on his former partner.

Variants and Related Words

• Hit (n): (Informal/Slang) A contract killing.
  • The assassination was a clean hit, with no witnesses.
• Assassination (n): The murder of a prominent person, often for political or monetary reasons. A contract killing can be an assassination if the target is a public figure.
• Murder-for-hire (n): A phrase synonymous with "contract killing," often used in legal statutes.

Synonyms

• Assassination (when premeditated and often of a public figure)
• Murder-for-hire
• Hit (slang)

Related Phrases

• Contract killer (n): The person who carries out the contract killing; a hitman or assassin.
• To take out a contract on someone: Similar to "to put out a contract on someone."

Related Idioms

• "A contract on one's head": Refers to a situation where a reward is offered for someone's murder.
  • After testifying, he lived in fear, knowing there was a contract on his head.

Noun

1. a murder carried out on agreement with a hired killer