assailant
noun
as·sail·ant
ə-ˈsā-lənt 
plural assailants
: a person who attacks someone violently
an assault by an unknown assailant
She could identify the assailant and his two accomplices, and she wanted to press charges.—
Jennifer Baumgardner
Jennifer BaumgardnerDetectives speculated that she may have been punched on the chin, perhaps knocked unconscious by her assailant.—Joseph Wambaugh
Joseph WambaughExamples of assailant in a Sentence
the darkness prevented me from getting a good look at my assailant
Recent Examples on the Web
Koehler also didn’t match the description of the assailant, Shear said.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025
The episode does end, though, with an attack on Bunny’s motorcade from unknown assailants, possibly working for the Colombians … or for Frank.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2025
The assailants remain at large.
—Cameron Schoppa, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
After Ricardo Rojas was shot dead near a gas station air pump, two assailants ran from the parking lot off of North Beach Street in Fort Worth near Gateway Park.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assailant
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Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025
The episode does end, though, with an attack on Bunny’s motorcade from unknown assailants, possibly working for the Colombians … or for Frank.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2025
The assailants remain at large.
—Cameron Schoppa, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
After Ricardo Rojas was shot dead near a gas station air pump, two assailants ran from the parking lot off of North Beach Street in Fort Worth near Gateway Park.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assailant
Cite this Entry
“Assailant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assailant. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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assailant
noun
as·sail·ant
ə-ˈsā-lənt
: a person who commits criminal assault
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