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)

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

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verb

1. to make an assault upon

2. to rape or attempt to rape

Synonym Usage

See attack.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has assaulted
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have assaulted
  perfect
• is assaulting
  progressive 3rd person singular
• have been assaulting
  perfect progressive
• has been assaulting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• assaulting
  participle
• am assaulting
  progressive 1st person singular
• are assaulting
  progressive
• assaults
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had assaulted
  perfect
• had been assaulting
  perfect progressive
• were assaulting
  progressive plural
• was assaulting
  progressive singular
• assaulted
  participle
• assaulted
  simple

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

These branches adopted doctrines and systems to implement their portions of Assault Breaker.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

“Both the District Attorney’s Office and the State College Police Department have reviewed video evidence of this incident and do not believe that a charge of Aggravated Assault is supported by the evidence.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

Assault charges against the man, Carlitos Ricardo Parias, were recently dismissed by a judge.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

At a safehouse just out of reach of drones, we meet soldiers of the artillery unit of the 5th Assault Brigade.

From BBC • May 28, 2025

All he wants is for the Airtime Assault to work.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

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