assassinate
To murder someone, especially an important person, by a sudden or obscure attack, especially for ideological or political reasons.
Other meanings
To harm, ruin, or defame severely or destroy by treachery, slander, libel, or obscure attack.
“He assassinated his rival's character.”
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “assassinate” on Wiktionary, by its contributors, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.