assault

American  

[uh-sawlt] / əˈsɔlt /

noun

assaults plural

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.

---

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

---

verb

1. to make an assault upon

2. to rape or attempt to rape

Synonym Usage

See attack.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• assaulter
  noun
• nonassault
  noun
• assaultable
  adjective
• assaultive
  adjective
• unassaultable
  adjective
• unassaulted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• assaults
  plural

Participles

• assaulting
  present
• assaulted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• assault
  simple
• assaults
  simple
• have assaulted
  perfect
• has assaulted
  perfect
• am assaulting
  progressive
• are assaulting
  progressive
• is assaulting
  progressive
• have been assaulting
  perfect progressive
• has been assaulting
  perfect progressive

Past

• assaulted
  simple
• had assaulted
  perfect
• was assaulting
  progressive
• were assaulting
  progressive
• had been assaulting
  perfect progressive

Future

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

In a statement after the shooting, DHS said that the FBI will investigate "the potential assault on a federal law enforcement officer."

From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026

“That’s about showing up for other women and for all sexual assault survivors.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026

"Because they see the assault troops too, and they are right on the front line."

From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026

UN rights chief Volker Turk issues a "red alert" Friday on the unfolding "catastrophe" in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid, where the United Nations fears an imminent paramilitary assault.

From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026

She was in love with the sound of her own name and seemed to view my speech impediment as a personal assault.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Related Words

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