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

Patel confirmed the assailant will face charges of assault on a federal officer. —Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025

All 24 schoolgirls who were abducted by armed assailants from a school last week in Nigeria’s Kebbi state have been rescued, the country's president announced Tuesday. —Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 25 Nov. 2025

The assailant, whose name and age authorities have not released, died at the scene. —Emerson Clarridge updated November 24, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Nov. 2025

Deputies said one person had been shot, and the assailant's identity was known. —Paula Wethington, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025

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