assault
Americannoun
-
a sudden, violent attack; onslaught.
an assault on tradition.
- Synonyms:
- aggression, invasion, charge, onset
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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
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counterassaultverb (used with object)
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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
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am assaultingprogressive
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are assaultingprogressive
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is assaultingprogressive
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have been assaultingperfect progressive
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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:
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
For these pseudo-historians, complicating Odysseus was another liberal assault on Homer’s tale.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
“We’ve been great in victory and we need to be great in defeat,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said moments after Paredes was booked for assault.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Fontaine was no bruiser on black-and-white TV, when the balls were heavy leather and keepers unprotected from assault from forwards.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
When we caught up to him, we saw he had stopped near a group of soldiers carrying assault rifles.
From "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by John Bul Dau
The Malian army confirmed the rebel assaults on the four towns and Kenieroba on Facebook Saturday morning, asserting that "these attacks were vigorously repelled" and that "the situation is completely under control."
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
If they do, then they will be ordered to retake them: "We don't have enough people to hold on to what we still control, let alone organise assaults."
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
Hay first reported the assaults to police in Largo, Fla., he has said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
But they are assaults on the country’s character as a republic born from distrust of monarchical grandiosity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
They head out into the hallway, where a fresh wave of heat and stench assaults Mark’s senses.
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
Hearing Platner deny that he assaulted Fifield, and seeing so many rally behind him and against her, was too much.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
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
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
She opened the door and was once again assaulted and mildly offended by her sister’s hot-pink dresser, hot-pink curtains, hot-pink rug, and hot-pink comforter.
From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Under Essayli, federal prosecutors in L.A. have aggressively charged protesters with assaulting and impeding the actions of immigration agents, filing more than 100 cases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
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
French, British, and Belgian armies, meanwhile, were assaulting German defenses along the rest of the Western Front.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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.
