assault

American  

[uh-sawlt] / əˈsɔlt /

noun

1. a sudden, violent attack; onslaught.

   an assault on tradition.

   Synonyms:

   aggression, invasion, charge, onset

2. Law. an unlawful physical attack upon another; an attempt or offer to do violence to another, with or without battery, as by holding a stone or club in a threatening manner.

3. Military. the stage of close combat in an attack.

4. rape.

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verb (used with object)

assaults, present (3rd person singular) assaulted, past participle, past assaulting present participle

1. to make an assault upon; attack; assail.

assault British  

/ əˈsɔːlt /

noun

1. a violent attack, either physical or verbal

2. law an intentional or reckless act that causes another person to expect to be subjected to immediate and unlawful violence Compare battery assault and battery

3. 1. the culmination of a military attack, in which fighting takes place at close quarters

   2. ( as modifier )

      assault troops

4. rape or attempted rape

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verb

1. to make an assault upon

2. to rape or attempt to rape

Synonym Usage

See attack.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• assaultable
  adjective
• assaultive
  adjective
• nonassault
  noun
• unassaulted
  adjective
• counterassault
  verb (used with object)
• unassaultable
  adjective
• assaulter
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have assaulted
  perfect
• has assaulted
  perfect 3rd person singular
• has been assaulting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• have been assaulting
  perfect progressive
• are assaulting
  progressive
• assaulting
  participle
• am assaulting
  progressive 1st person singular
• assaults
  singular 3rd person
• is assaulting
  progressive 3rd person singular

Past

• had assaulted
  perfect
• was assaulting
  progressive singular
• had been assaulting
  perfect progressive
• assaulted
  participle
• assaulted
  simple
• were assaulting
  progressive plural

Future

• will assault
  simple
• will have assaulted
  perfect
• will have been assaulting
  perfect progressive
• will be assaulting
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of assault

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English asaut, from Old French, from Medieval Latin assaltus “attacked,” past participle of assalīre “to attack, jump on,” replacing Latin assilīre, both ultimately from Latin as- as- + salīre “to jump, leap”

Explanation

An assault is an attack. Getting punched, yelled at, or bombed are all types of assault. To assault is to attack or bombard someone in some way. Fighter planes can make an aerial assault, while ground troops make a ground assault. Verbal assault consists of insults, swearing, or threats. A strong criticism, like a negative review in the newspaper, is a written assault. Physical assault can range from getting pushed to getting shot. You could even say "That music is so loud it's assaulting my ear drums!"

Example Sentences

But since the assault on Ukraine, it has become a marker of the ex-KGB spy's new place in the world.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

"This attack is a grave assault on the constitutional rights of Somali citizens and a deliberate attempt to suppress peaceful assembly," he added.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

Today, Kelver, a 28-year-old trans woman, faces two felony charges—aggravated assault and possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent—which could carry up to 15 years in prison.

From Slate • Jun. 4, 2026

An intense series of meetings produced a fragile agreement that Hezbollah would stop attacks on Israel and Israel wouldn’t assault Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, though fighting continued elsewhere Tuesday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

‘But there are not men enough in the Mark, not if they were all gathered together and healed of wounds and weariness, to assault the stronghold of Saruman,’ said Théoden.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

Related Words

• aggression
• charge
• incursion
• invasion
• offensive
• onslaught
• rape
• strike
• violation