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
None of the other five people around her so much as lift a finger — even after the assailant was no longer an imminent threat.
—Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
The defendant is the assailant on the video.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Banner is injured in a shootout, and several officers are killed before Lambert is able to intervene and take out the assailants with his rifle.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Sep. 2025
Javonte had the uncanny ability to run at a level lower than his assailants while, at the same time, maintaining his feet, keeping his balance and not letting his knees scrape the turf.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assailant
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Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
The defendant is the assailant on the video.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Banner is injured in a shootout, and several officers are killed before Lambert is able to intervene and take out the assailants with his rifle.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Sep. 2025
Javonte had the uncanny ability to run at a level lower than his assailants while, at the same time, maintaining his feet, keeping his balance and not letting his knees scrape the turf.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 6 Sep. 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 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
assailant
noun
as·sail·ant
ə-ˈsā-lənt
: a person who commits criminal assault
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