assailant
Americannoun
-
assailants
plural
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of assailant
From the Middle French word assaillant, dating back to 1525–35. See assail, -ant
Explanation
A wife who sends a vase sailing at her husband's head might be considered an assailant, or attacker. Or, they might be playing a game of dodgeball with the furniture. Assailant comes from the Latin ad- meaning "at" and salire meaning "to leap." Leap at someone and you're an assailant — someone who attacks. You'll usually hear this word when lawyers or police are talking about attacks, because most people use its synonym attacker in casual conversation. Have you ever been attacked by ants, looking down to see your foot covered in them? Think of the word ant when you spell the word assailant to remember its ending.
Vocabulary lists containing assailant
Fever 1793
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Franklin Roosevelt, "Four Freedoms" (1941)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words : December 23 - 29, 2017
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
On-screen footage shows UFC fighter Michael Chandler explaining to an FBI agent how to neutralize an armed assailant with hand-to-hand combat.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
But Megan didn’t name him as her assailant at first.
From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2026
The assailant, she told investigators, offered to drive her to a nearby pay phone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026
Since the shooting, Albanese is leading a state-federal push for stricter gun control, after the older assailant was found to have six licensed guns.
From Barron's ● Dec. 17, 2025
Both he and the men in the store had spent the entire day hunting for Emma Lee’s assailant in the brush and swamplands of the beach.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Residents have told the BBC that Thursday's attack was repelled by the army, which is now hunting down the fleeing assailants who reportedly abandoned their weapons.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
He accused the presidents of France, Benin and Ivory Coast -- Emmanuel Macron, Patrice Talon and Alassane Ouattara -- of sponsoring the assailants.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
Despite video evidence showing the unprovoked attack, Oliva was barred from suing his assailants because Section 1983 doesn’t apply to federal officials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025
Although Guimaraes enjoyed international support, his assailants haven’t been identified.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2025
Too late, Torak realized that Wolf had not been growling at the auroch -but at these silent assailants.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
