Synonyms

assault and battery

American

noun

Law.

an assault with an actual touching or other violence upon another. a&b

assault and battery British

noun

criminal law a threat of attack to another person followed by actual attack, which need amount only to touching with hostile intent

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of assault and battery

First recorded in 1580–90

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:

assault and battery

Swift countersued for sexual assault and battery, asking for $1 in damages.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

The man Kesha sued over a decade ago for sexual assault and battery co-wrote and co-produced ten out of the eleven tracks on Perry’s last album, "143."

From Salon ● May 16, 2025

Attention will now turn to a civil lawsuit filed by Mr Neely's father, who is seeking damages for alleged civil assault and battery.

From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2024

The case in Dedham, Massachusetts, before Judge Paul McCallum was the first to be filed, with prosecutors in July 2021 charging McCarrick with three counts of indecent assault and battery.

From Reuters ● Aug. 30, 2023

Was this an action of assault and battery, or not?

From Winterslow Essays and Characters Written There by William Hazlitt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023