assault
Americannoun
-
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)
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
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unassaultableadjective
-
unassaultedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
assaultsimple
-
assaultssimple
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have assaultedperfect
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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
Hoot
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Nothing But the Truth
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Code Talker
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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:
Cordina appeared in the dock alongside Jamie O'Brien, 32, from Pentwyn, who has also been charged with assault in connection with the incident.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
But UC as an institution played no direct part in that case or any of the others brought to challenge Trump’s assault on the university.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Svitlana, 48, a nurse in an airborne assault unit, also saw the arrival of Drapaty -- a respected "combat officer" -- as "positive."
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Days after the assault on volunteers in Irumu, the district recorded its first Ebola case, the Health Ministry said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
There was for a while a lull in the assault, since the attempt to break in through the culvert had been foiled.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
The attack immediately revived memories of a series of deadly assaults that have shaken Germany in recent years and fuelled fierce debate over security.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
Homeland Security has previously told news outlets it does not have a “domestic terrorist” database, but said it monitors incidents of “threats, assaults and obstruction” of its officers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
How much will this hamper future criminal investigations of robberies, assaults, and other serious crimes?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Anyone who assaults a retail worker can be prosecuted under the laws that already exist to protect members of the public.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
In addition, Native American armies had no animals to oppose to horses, whose value for assaults and fast transport gave Europeans an overwhelming advantage until some Native American societies themselves adopted them.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
The protests have intensified in recent days after security guards assaulted a man near the protected area and footage of preparatory construction work and bulldozers on the beach was released.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
A retrial jury has been discharged after it failed to reach verdicts over allegations that two brothers assaulted a police officer at Manchester Airport.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
Christian Bojorquez argued in his closing statements to the jury that Officer William Jones believed that he was confronting a man with a gun who had already assaulted several people inside the store.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
A woman named Lonna Drewes told reporters Tuesday that Swalwell sexually assaulted her in 2018 while she was thinking about running for the Beverly Hills City Council.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
I step through the curtain and my senses are assaulted.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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
Weinstein was initially convicted of assaulting Mann in 2020, but that verdict, along with another charge, was overturned in April 2024.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
Amaaz and Amaad, of Rochdale, deny assaulting PC Marsden, causing actual bodily harm.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
There was no snowstorm, no churning sky, no assaulting cold on this side of the witch’s palace.
From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu
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.
