assault
Americannoun
-
assaults
plural
-
a sudden, violent attack; onslaught.
an assault on tradition.
- Synonyms:
- aggression, invasion, charge, onset
-
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.
-
Military. the stage of close combat in an attack.
-
rape.
verb (used with object)
-
assaults,
present (3rd person singular)
-
assaulted,
past participle, past
-
assaulting
present participle
noun
-
a violent attack, either physical or verbal
-
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
-
-
the culmination of a military attack, in which fighting takes place at close quarters
-
( as modifier )
assault troops
-
-
rape or attempted rape
verb
-
to make an assault upon
-
to rape or attempt to rape
Synonym Usage
See attack.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
assaulternoun
-
nonassaultnoun
-
counterassaultverb (used with object)
-
assaultableadjective
-
assaultiveadjective
-
unassaultableadjective
-
unassaultedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
assaultsimple
-
assaultssimple
-
have assaultedperfect
-
has assaultedperfect
-
am assaultingprogressive
-
are assaultingprogressive
-
is assaultingprogressive
-
have been assaultingperfect progressive
-
has been assaultingperfect progressive
Past
-
assaultedsimple
-
had assaultedperfect
-
was assaultingprogressive
-
were assaultingprogressive
-
had been assaultingperfect progressive
Future
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!"
Vocabulary lists containing assault
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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:
The university hired former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates to lead a review of how the school responds to sexual assault cases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
A second assault by beating charge against Cordina was dropped on Tuesday.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
He announced other measures including the appointment of a dedicated staff member to support individuals reporting sexual misconduct, and inviting specialized New York State Police detectives to probe future sexual assault allegations.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
Survivors may not report their assault to law enforcement for any number of reasons, including a fear of retaliation, not believing the police would help and not believing the crime was important enough.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026
Standing a few feet away was his dad, Mars, wearing a red beret and olive fatigues with the insignia of the Italian Special Forces, an assault rifle slung over his shoulder.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
“Tensions were heightened as Saudi Arabia said it was dealing with new drone and missile assaults on Monday,” ANZ Research analysts say in a research report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
European leaders, who have accused Russia of brazen assaults on their soil, contend with strikes on ships skirting their waters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
“This administration has been clear: anyone who assaults or obstructs law enforcement will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
A man has been given a caution by police as part of an investigation into assaults on protesters at the Reform UK party conference in Birmingham earlier this month.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Like most mothers, she wielded tremendous power and my staunch resolve would crumble like a sandcastle before her frontal assaults, which were like tidal waves.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
In May 2023, shortly before the first baby was due, the woman called the police alleging she had been assaulted by the man.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Conviction rates are lower than when the person assaulted was sober.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Leto, in a statement shared with The Times on Wednesday, denied the allegations raised by the BBC documentary: “I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Hearing Platner deny that he assaulted Fifield, and seeing so many rally behind him and against her, was too much.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Years later, she’d had a panic attack at a water park in Denver, when Percy and she were assaulted by mechanical spiders.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
US actress Selma Blair has spoken out after being accused of assaulting multiple people on a flight travelling to New York.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
He also denied assaulting the executive director and said he did not threaten female labor leaders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Also on Thursday, 50-year-old Matt Styler, of Gosport, pleaded not guilty to assaulting a police officer.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
The Justice Department has opened an investigation into writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused President Trump of sexually assaulting her 30 years ago, people familiar with the probe said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
There was no snowstorm, no churning sky, no assaulting cold on this side of the witch’s palace.
From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu
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