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
The surviving assailant, Bilal Abu Ghanem, was freed in February from his three consecutive life sentences for murder as part of the last Israeli ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas.
—Matt Bradley, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2025
Morales grabbed a patio chair to fend off his attackers before running away with his assailants in tow, prosecutors said.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 15 Oct. 2025
An assailant in a mask and dark hoodie allegedly approached a car and stabbed the two young men inside late overnight, Stoneham Police stated Sunday.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
She was later seen knocking an assailant back a few dozen feet with a simple swing of a metal tray.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assailant
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Matt Bradley, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2025
Morales grabbed a patio chair to fend off his attackers before running away with his assailants in tow, prosecutors said.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 15 Oct. 2025
An assailant in a mask and dark hoodie allegedly approached a car and stabbed the two young men inside late overnight, Stoneham Police stated Sunday.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
She was later seen knocking an assailant back a few dozen feet with a simple swing of a metal tray.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 11 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 21 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
assailant
noun
as·sail·ant
ə-ˈsā-lənt
: a person who commits criminal assault
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