sexual assault
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of sexual assault
First recorded in 1880–85
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.
A company issuing self-swab DNA testing kits to sexual assault victims has had online posts banned for containing misleading information.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
Women often do not immediately report allegations of rape and sexual assault, she said, "because of the sense of shame that you have, that somehow it's your fault".
From BBC • May 18, 2026
He’s the International Criminal Court prosecutor who requested arrest warrants for Israel’s leaders in 2024, shortly after learning he had been accused of sexual assault.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026
Urge legislators to take action to limit mandatory arbitration, as when Congress enacted a law in 2022 prohibiting sexual harassment and sexual assault claims from being forced into arbitration.
From Slate • Apr. 27, 2026
The measure would replace the current system of adjudicating sexual assault by taking the cases outside a victim’s chain of command.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
