assail
Americanverb (used with object)
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assails,
present (3rd person singular)
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assailed,
past participle, past
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assailing
present participle
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to attack vigorously or violently; assault.
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to attack with arguments, criticism, ridicule, abuse, etc..
to assail one's opponent with slander.
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to undertake with the purpose of mastering.
He assailed his studies with new determination.
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to impinge upon; make an impact on; beset.
His mind was assailed by conflicting arguments.
The light assailed their eyes.
verb
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to attack violently; assault
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to criticize or ridicule vehemently, as in argument
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to beset or disturb
his mind was assailed by doubts
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to encounter with the intention of mastering
to assail a problem
to assail a difficult mountain ridge
Synonym Usage
See attack.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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assailablenessnoun
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assailernoun
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assailmentnoun
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assailableadjective
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unassailedadjective
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unassailingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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assailsimple
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assailssimple
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have assailedperfect
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has assailedperfect
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am assailingprogressive
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are assailingprogressive
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is assailingprogressive
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have been assailingperfect progressive
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has been assailingperfect progressive
Past
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assailedsimple
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had assailedperfect
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was assailingprogressive
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were assailingprogressive
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had been assailingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of assail
1175–1225; Middle English asaylen < Old French asalir < Late Latin assalīre, equivalent to Latin as- as- + salīre to leap, spring
Explanation
To assail is to attack or assault — with throwing stars, fists, words or, less tangibly but just as violently, with troubles or doubts. Believe it or not, assail evolved from the ancient Latin word assilire, which means "to jump on." So picture an attacker jumping on you, throwing punches and maybe some insults, too. Because assail also means to ridicule or heap your worries upon someone. As novelist Charlotte Bronte noted, “Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last.” Think on that.
Vocabulary lists containing assail
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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:
But sociologists in the scholar-activist mold note that Du Bois also believed in using sociological truth in the pursuit of activism, promising in 1906 to “never cease to protest and assail the ears of America.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Musk found that cartoonist’s tweet and called his ban “insane,” inspiring his followers to assail r/comics.
From Slate ● Mar. 13, 2025
The problem is that Walz's cheery Midwestern normalcy has an authenticity to it that's hard to assail.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2024
And once Catherine’s cancer was revealed, British media were quick to assail their counterparts across the pond, accusing American tabloids and media figures of recklessly amplifying the more outlandish rumors.
From New York Times ● Mar. 24, 2024
If we make no answer, the Enemy may move Men of his rule to assail King Brand, and Dáin also.’
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
They won us over with their mild pomposity and aloofness, whereas Rapaport’s annoyance wreaks collateral damage like a chronically unbathed person’s odor assails bystanders.
From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2026
Meanwhile, the document assails America’s friends across the Atlantic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025
“This lawsuit assails the First Amendment and the news media’s duty and right to report on matters of significant public interest without fear of liability,” Fox said in the court documents filed on Thursday.
From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2023
Baby Stone Gorillas, “Keep Goin” The white-hot L.A. rap group assails a soul sample on “Keep Goin,” its members jumping in and out of frame as they pass the baton with an uncanny chemistry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2022
The first impression felt by Joan at these surmises is one of joy at being free, and no remorse assails her at having denied the truth.
From The Executioner's Knife Or Joan of Arc by Eug?ne Sue
Critics assailed the carefully curated lifestyle presented by Meghan as tone-deaf.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, whose administration was widely assailed for its desultory initial response, has made high-profile appearances in La Guaira.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
The competitive threat posed by cheaper Chinese substitutes has once again assailed semiconductor stocks, leading to dramatic falls in some of the biggest memory chip makers in Asia on Tuesday.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Belgium’s soccer federation assailed FIFA’s lack of transparency and said it was “astonished” by the reversal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
I take a step away from him, but not fast enough to avoid being assailed with the smell of overripe fruit.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
He has already moved on from assailing the frontier labs to milking them by selling them compute at a steep markup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
GM went full speed ahead, pouring money into national ad campaigns assailing things like men eating tofu.
From Slate ● Jun. 22, 2025
For his part, Fauci—a veteran of numerous appearances before Congress—held his ground, assailing accusations made against him as “seriously distorted,” “absolutely false,” and “simply preposterous.”
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 3, 2024
HLA supporters have spent weeks assailing Szabo’s previous cost estimates for the measure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2024
The assailing hosts halted, foiled by the silent menace of rock and wall.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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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.
