assault

[ uh-sawlt ]

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 ¹.

verb (used with object)

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

assault

/ əˈsɔːlt /

noun

1. a violent attack, either physical or verbal
2. See battery, assault and battery
   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

verb

1. to make an assault upon
2. to rape or attempt to rape

Derived Forms

• asˈsaultive, adjective
• asˈsaulter, noun

Other Words From

• as·saulta·ble adjective
• as·saulter noun
• counter·as·sault verb (used with object) noun
• nonas·sault noun
• unas·saulta·ble adjective
• unas·saulted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of assault¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of assault¹

C13: from Old French asaut, from Vulgar Latin assaltus (unattested), from assalīre (unattested) to leap upon; see assail

Synonym Study

See attack.

Example Sentences

But damn, the music is catchy—a neo-soul aural assault of horns, electro swirls, yelps, funky basslines, and harmonized vocals.

From The Daily Beast

Luckily, Tor was prepared for this sort of assault, and has built-in defenses to protect against it.

From The Daily Beast

It was like a constant assault, an almost stupefying catalogue of mindless racial insult and injury.

From The Daily Beast

For his tireless assault on evolutionary biology and downsizing the deity to fit within science, I give Meyer second place.

From The Daily Beast

In their midst stands a soldier with the Lebanese armed forces in a red beret, sporting an assault rifle and an unblinking stare.

From The Daily Beast

The case was an assault and battery that came off between two men named Brown and Henderson.

From Project Gutenberg

Pat Malone, you are fined five dollars for assault and battery on Mike Sweeney.

From Project Gutenberg

He made a violent assault against the nation of his enemies, and in the descent he destroyed the adversaries.

From Project Gutenberg

The imperialists under the duke of Bourbon, took Rome by assault and plundered it.

From Project Gutenberg

Edwin had to brace himself again, for an assault upon the fastness of the stationmaster.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• abuse
• invade
• rape
• shoot down
• violate