assault
Americannoun
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a sudden, violent attack; onslaught.
an assault on tradition.
- Synonyms:
- aggression, invasion, charge, onset
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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.
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Military. the stage of close combat in an attack.
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rape.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a violent attack, either physical or verbal
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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
-
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the culmination of a military attack, in which fighting takes place at close quarters
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( as modifier )
assault troops
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rape or attempted rape
verb
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to make an assault upon
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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”
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.
This crew - smallish in number but sufficiently large to assault the eardrums of the management and players - are an odd bunch.
From BBC
Sunlight assaults my eyes and I blink to clear them.
From Literature
“The first of two U.S. Marine Corps units has arrived in the region,” wrote Vertical Research Partners analyst Rob Stallard on Monday, adding that Iran says it is ready to respond to a ground assault.
From Barron's
Finally, it is worth noting that there has been so much noise made about a possible US ground assault on Kharg that it could be part of some deception plan.
From BBC
US Central Command said on X that the newly-arrived sailors and marines were part of a unit led by the warship USS Tripoli, which also includes assault and transport assets.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
