assailant

[ uh-sey-luhnt ]

noun

1. a person who attacks.

adjective

1. Archaic. assailing; attacking; hostile.

assailant

/ əˈseɪlənt /

noun

1. a person who attacks another, either physically or verbally

   he was unable to recognize his assailants

Word History and Origins

Origin of assailant¹

From the Middle French word assaillant, dating back to 1525–35. See assail, -ant

Example Sentences

Popkin said the deputy appears to have unsuccessfully tried to use his Taser to stop the assailant, who continued to attack with the piece of wood.

From Washington Post

Karau ended up representing himself in General District Court — and the alleged assailant was convicted of assault.

From Washington Post

The assailants belonged to the Front de Libération du Québec, or FLQ, a militant group that called for the independence of their Francophone province in eastern Canada.

From Washington Post

Video of the encounter soon spread on the Internet, prompting people to speculate online about the alleged assailant’s identity.

From Washington Post

Noble left his vehicle and the assailant began chasing him in broad daylight, while continuing to shoot at him.

From Essence.com

Somebody yanks Chan and elbows him and he is momentarily distracted trying to apprehend his assailant.

From The Daily Beast

The rationale in those cases, he said, is that DNA should be used to identify the assailant.

From The Daily Beast

Thankfully, Linda was not injured and the assailant, a white male, was arrested.

From The Daily Beast

My assailant will remain unpunished, and life on this campus will continue its course as if nothing had happened.

From The Daily Beast

There was that time Nancy Kerrigan was whacked in the knee by a baton-wielding assailant in 1994.

From The Daily Beast

In the distance he saw his late assailant running hard; the coach had disappeared.

From Project Gutenberg

So long as he had to deal with a single assailant he saw no need to move from so excellent a position.

From Project Gutenberg

If Mr. Adams fell where he was struck, the assailant must have had that door directly before him.

From Project Gutenberg

Now if he saw the tragedy from this point, he saw it over the assailant's shoulder, instead of face to face.

From Project Gutenberg

A second curse, and the assailant ghost-like was gliding amongst the orchard trees.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• aggressor
• mugger