assault and battery

American  

noun

Law.

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

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assault and battery British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of assault and battery

First recorded in 1580–90

Example Sentences

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

Nicolas Cage, once accused of negligence by ex-girlfriend Christina Fulton, will not face further litigation in her ongoing assault and battery lawsuit against their son.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 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

If so much as a fugitive letter had reached us, it would have been construed into a mild case of assault and battery.

From A Breeze from the Woods, 2nd Ed. by Bartlett, William Chauncey