assault

American  

[uh-sawlt] / əˈsɔlt /

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.

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verb (used with object)

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

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verb

1. to make an assault upon

2. to rape or attempt to rape

Related Words

See attack.

Other Word Forms

• assaultable adjective
• assaulter noun
• assaultive adjective
• counterassault verb (used with object)
• nonassault noun
• unassaultable adjective
• unassaulted adjective

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

And in the early hours of the Iran war, the British government initially refused to allow the U.S. to use U.K. military bases to launch the assault.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

He agreed it was "astonishing" the University of Nottingham - where Calocane studied between 2017 and 2022 - was not made aware of his assault on PC Pritchard and incidents involving neighbours.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

Urge legislators to take action to limit mandatory arbitration, as when Congress enacted a law in 2022 prohibiting sexual harassment and sexual assault claims from being forced into arbitration.

From Slate • Apr. 27, 2026

It suggests the private intelligence operation also sought to target two Americans: Tom Lynch, the senior ICC official who first reported the assault allegation, and Sen. Lindsey Graham.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

On the long march, gray overcast skies protected the boys from aerial assault, but by afternoon, the skies cleared, exposing the columns to danger from Allied planes.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Related Words

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