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
Cops were still looking for the assailant in that case.
—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
26 June 2026
Rapes were commonplace in both, as were the discoveries of women who had been abducted from elsewhere in the Bay Area and the state by assailants seeking a place to stash them.
—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
25 June 2026
Then the assailant turns to face the camera; but inside a hoodie, the face is no face, just a terrifying horror movie mask.
—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
25 June 2026
The shooter fled, but authorities said staffers recognized the assailant as Abdulkareem, a dissatisfied patient.
—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for assailant
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Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
26 June 2026
Rapes were commonplace in both, as were the discoveries of women who had been abducted from elsewhere in the Bay Area and the state by assailants seeking a place to stash them.
—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
25 June 2026
Then the assailant turns to face the camera; but inside a hoodie, the face is no face, just a terrifying horror movie mask.
—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
25 June 2026
The shooter fled, but authorities said staffers recognized the assailant as Abdulkareem, a dissatisfied patient.
—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for assailant
Cite this Entry
“Assailant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assailant. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
assailant
noun
as·sail·ant
ə-ˈsā-lənt
: a person who commits criminal assault
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