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

Detectives speculated that she may have been punched on the chin, perhaps knocked unconscious by her assailant.

—Joseph Wambaugh

Synonyms of assailant

• attacker
• assaulter

Examples of assailant in a Sentence

the darkness prevented me from getting a good look at my assailant

Recent Examples on the Web

The attack occurred Sunday night in Planadas, a town in Tolima province, where unidentified assailants fired rockets made from gas cylinders at a military base, according to Planadas Mayor Juan Camilo Hueje. — ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026

Days later, assailants stormed Moscow’s Crocus City Hall venue and killed more than 140 people. — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026

His family told the Herald that the woman did not recognize him and had described her assailants as several Colombians. — Claire Healy, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026

In June 2024, a crossbow-wielding assailant wounded a Serbian police officer guarding the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade before the officer returned fire, killing the attacker. — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1523, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for assailant

• covalent
• divalent
• inhalant
• hexavalent
• monovalent
• multivalent
• pentavalent
• polyvalent
• tetravalent
• univalent

Legal Definition

assailant

noun

as·​sail·​ant ə-ˈsā-lənt 

: a person who commits criminal assault