indecent assault

American  

noun

1. a sexual offense, other than rape, committed by one person against another.

---

indecent assault British  

noun

1. the act of taking indecent liberties with a person without his or her consent

---

Etymology

Origin of indecent assault

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

They include Rolf Harris, who went to prison for indecent assault, and Anthony Blunt, the former art adviser to the Queen who turned out to be a Soviet spy.

From BBC • Jan. 10, 2024

The monologue was Spacey’s first such appearance since he was acquitted of nine counts of sexual assault and indecent assault by a British court in July.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2023

The case in Dedham, Massachusetts, before Judge Paul McCallum was the first to be filed, with prosecutors in July 2021 charging McCarrick with three counts of indecent assault and battery.

From Reuters • Aug. 30, 2023

People convicted of indecent assault in South Korea become registered sex offenders who are monitored by police even after completing their prison terms.

From New York Times • Jan. 29, 2023

In the case of common assaults as opposed to indecent assault, the prosecution seems to have been allowable only when the object of a wanton attack was a free person.

From Anabasis by Dakyns, Henry Graham