assault
noun
a sudden, violent attack; onslaught.
was assaulting
-
past progressiveof assault.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Blake said Webster acted “objectively reasonably” when he tried to arrest and chased after Black, suspecting he was assaulting the boy.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 19, 2022
On Feb. 3, 1945, Royster was seriously wounded, receiving several gunshot wounds as his unit was assaulting a heavily defended village in Germany, near the Belgian border.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 26, 2017
“Mr. Bonds had a completely paranoid, distorted thought that whole night that everybody was assaulting him,” Shapiro said.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 11, 2017
Kiritsis heard one broad cast report and jumped to the conclusion that a bomb squad was assaulting his apartment at that moment.
From Time Magazine Archive
The real trouble was that he was assaulting the stern citadel of life with weapons not only imperfect, but nearly useless.
From Masterman and Son by W. J. (William James) Dawson
