assault

[ uh-sawlt ]

See synonyms for: assault assaulted assaulter 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.

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”

synonym study For assault

5. See attack.

Other words for assault

1	onset, charge; invasion, aggression

See synonyms for assault on Thesaurus.com

Other words from assault

as·sault·a·ble, adjective
as·sault·er, noun
coun·ter·as·sault, verb (used with object), noun
non·as·sault, noun
un·as·sault·a·ble, adjective
un·as·sault·ed, adjective

Words that may be confused with assault

assault , battery

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use assault in a sentence

Not only had the iconic comedian sexually assaulted many, many women, Maher argued, “I never thought he was funny.”
Bill Maher: Hundreds of Millions of Muslims Support Attack on ‘Charlie Hebdo’ | Lloyd Grove | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
“Officers had to go stop an elderly lady from being assaulted,” Sgt. Houston said.
Texas Gun Slingers Police the Police—With a Black Panthers Tactic | Brandy Zadrozny | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
That started to erode after the two officers were assaulted last week.
De Blasio and the New York City Protesters Have No Blood on Their Hands | Jacob Siegel | December 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Two police officers had been assaulted in New York less than a week before the sitdown.
De Blasio and the New York City Protesters Have No Blood on Their Hands | Jacob Siegel | December 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
At least two other officers had been physically assaulted since the protests began.
Protesters Slimed This Good Samaritan Cop | Michael Daly | December 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

They assaulted him with snowballs, pieces of ice, and whatever they could lay their hands upon.
The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States | Martin R. Delany
Battle of Landshut; the Austrians assaulted and carried the town with great loss on both sides.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel Munsell
Valencia, in Spain, assaulted by the French under Moncey; they were repulsed with the loss of 1000 men.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel Munsell
I do not deny the attempt on Frick, but the accusation of having assaulted Leishman is not true.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander Berkman
He strongly suspected that the men who had assaulted Mr Heathcote were in some way concerned in the disappearance of his son.
Digby Heathcote | W.H.G. Kingston

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 violence: Compare 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

Origin of assault

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

Derived forms of assault

assaulter, noun
assaultive, adjective

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

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