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
In a 2018 lawsuit, Correll was accused of maliciously battering and crushing the spleen of an unarmed, non-resisting young man who had requested the assistance of police after he had been shot by an unknown assailant.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 14 Aug. 2025
On Saturday, an assailant beat a Jewish man in a Montreal park in front of his children.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2025
By the end of the penultimate episode, George Russell was also in danger of being killed off after an unknown assailant shot him in his office.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
In fact, several online search engines indicate that no incidents of targeting cops based on badge or name visibility have been reported — not even one case in which assailants singled out officers because their uniforms were identifiable as representing a particular agency.
—Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assailant
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Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 14 Aug. 2025
On Saturday, an assailant beat a Jewish man in a Montreal park in front of his children.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2025
By the end of the penultimate episode, George Russell was also in danger of being killed off after an unknown assailant shot him in his office.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
In fact, several online search engines indicate that no incidents of targeting cops based on badge or name visibility have been reported — not even one case in which assailants singled out officers because their uniforms were identifiable as representing a particular agency.
—Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 8 Aug. 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 20 Aug. 2025.
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assailant
noun
as·sail·ant
ə-ˈsā-lənt
: a person who commits criminal assault
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