assault

[ uh-sawlt ]

/ əˈsɔlt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR assault ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a sudden, violent attack; onslaught: an assault on tradition.

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.

rape¹.

verb (used with object)

to make an assault upon; attack; assail.

Nearby words

Origin of assault

1200–50; Middle English asaut < Old French < Medieval Latin assaltus (replacing Latin assultus), equivalent to Latin as- as- + saltus a leap (sal(īre) to leap + -tus suffix of v. action)

SYNONYMS FOR assault

1. onset, charge; invasion, aggression.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR assault ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

as·sault·a·ble, adjectiveas·sault·er, nouncoun·ter·as·sault, verb (used with object), nounnon·as·sault, noun

un·as·sault·a·ble, adjectiveun·as·sault·ed, adjective

Can be confusedassault battery

Synonym study

5. See attack.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for assault

Luckily, Tor was prepared for this sort of assault, and has built-in defenses to protect against it.
The Attack on the Hidden Internet|Marc Rogers|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In their midst stands a soldier with the Lebanese armed forces in a red beret, sporting an assault rifle and an unblinking stare.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda|Ruth Michaelson|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For them, the trauma of assault can be compounded by a lack of institutional support, and even disciplinary action.
Jameis Winston Cleared of Rape Like Every Other College Sports Star|Robert Silverman|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bill Cosby is facing allegations of assault and sexual misconduct by many women.
‘I Saved My Friend From Bill Cosby’|Lloyd Grove|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Although Korra looks at PTSD and assault with supernatural grandiosity, fans were quick to pick up on it in some forums.
Science-Fiction TV Finds a New Muse: Feminism|David Levesley|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I knew Brunow a great deal too well to think him likely to assault me after having put me on my guard by a threat.
In Direst Peril|David Christie Murray
In his ears there sounded surely the cries of Paris, urging him to the assault to the barricades of Fame.
A Spirit in Prison|Robert Hichens
Three times they mounted to the assault, here through the breach, yonder by means of their scaling ladders.
The Executioner's Knife|Eugne Sue
But on the 2nd of October the fortress, which had been heroically defended, was taken by assault.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 1|Various
The assault by sixteen thousand men in 1351 was stoutly opposed, and collapsed suddenly by proffers of peace.
The Story of Switzerland|Lina Hug

British Dictionary definitions for assault

assault

/ (əˈsɔːlt) /

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 violenceCompare battery (def. 4), 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 (tr)

to make an assault upon

to rape or attempt to rape

Derived Formsassaulter, nounassaultive, adjective

Word Origin for assault

C13: from Old French asaut, from Vulgar Latin assaltus (unattested), from assalīre (unattested) to leap upon; see assail

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for assault

assault

late 14c., earlier asaut (c.1200), from Old French asaut, assaut "an attack, an assault, attacking forces" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *adsaltus "attack, assault," from ad "to" (see ad-) + Latin saltus "a leap," from salire "to leap, spring" (see assail). In law by 1580s; historically, assault includes menacing words or actions; battery is an actual blow.

assault

early 15c., from Middle French asauter, assauter, from Vulgar Latin *assaltare (see assault (n.)). Related: Assaulted; assaulting.

assault

noun

verb (used with object)

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of assault

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for assault

assault

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for assault

assault

assault