assault
Americannoun
-
assaults
plural
-
a sudden, violent attack; onslaught.
an assault on tradition.
- Synonyms:
- aggression, invasion, charge, onset
-
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.
-
Military. the stage of close combat in an attack.
-
rape.
verb (used with object)
-
assaults,
present (3rd person singular)
-
assaulted,
past participle, past
-
assaulting
present participle
noun
-
a violent attack, either physical or verbal
-
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
-
-
the culmination of a military attack, in which fighting takes place at close quarters
-
( as modifier )
assault troops
-
-
rape or attempted rape
verb
-
to make an assault upon
-
to rape or attempt to rape
Synonym Usage
See attack.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
assaulternoun
-
nonassaultnoun
-
counterassaultverb (used with object)
-
assaultableadjective
-
assaultiveadjective
-
unassaultableadjective
-
unassaultedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
assaultsimple
-
assaultssimple
-
have assaultedperfect
-
has assaultedperfect
-
am assaultingprogressive
-
are assaultingprogressive
-
is assaultingprogressive
-
have been assaultingperfect progressive
-
has been assaultingperfect progressive
Past
-
assaultedsimple
-
had assaultedperfect
-
was assaultingprogressive
-
were assaultingprogressive
-
had been assaultingperfect progressive
Future
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!"
Vocabulary lists containing assault
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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:
The university hired former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates to lead a review of how the school responds to sexual assault cases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
A second assault by beating charge against Cordina was dropped on Tuesday.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
"This is not merely an assault on an MP. It is an assault on democratic freedoms and the rule of law," Brittas said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
Her husband and campaign manager told Phoenix New Times that she disappeared for two days after the alleged assault.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026
‘I wish Merry was here,’ he heard himself saying, and quick thoughts raced through his mind, even as he watched the enemy come charging to the assault.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
“Tensions were heightened as Saudi Arabia said it was dealing with new drone and missile assaults on Monday,” ANZ Research analysts say in a research report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
European leaders, who have accused Russia of brazen assaults on their soil, contend with strikes on ships skirting their waters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Dan Schorr, a former sex crimes prosecutor, told the BBC that New York law still protects victims of assaults who have chosen to drink or take drugs.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
They said “conspiracies to impede federal law enforcement and assaults on federal officers are against the law.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Just as had been the case so many times before, our naval bombardment and air assaults hadn’t been very effective in knocking out the coastal defenses.
From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac
The following day, a 72-year-old Fresno resident shot and wounded an ICE agent whom police said had fallen asleep on the resident’s daughter’s front lawn, appeared “intoxicated and agitated” and allegedly assaulted the resident.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Conviction rates are lower than when the person assaulted was sober.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
"As a result, the jury's unanimous verdict that Donald Trump sexually assaulted and then defamed E. Jean Carroll is now final and cannot be challenged in any court," she added.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
"I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life," the 54-year-old actor said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Prosper opened the door of the emergency exit and shuddered as the cold air assaulted him.
From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke
England striker Ivan Toney has pleaded not guilty to assaulting a man at a central London nightclub.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
He also denied assaulting the executive director and said he did not threaten female labor leaders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
A second man, 50-year-old Matt Styler, of Gosport, pleaded not guilty to assaulting a police officer.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
The Justice Department has opened an investigation into writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused President Trump of sexually assaulting her 30 years ago, people familiar with the probe said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
The winds that had been assaulting us suddenly disappeared.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
