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
Investigators were asked if an attacker or assailant could have been one of the four found dead in the home, according KGO.
—Jon Haworth, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2025
The victim, whose name and age the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office has not released, fought inside and outside the store with the assailant, Fort Worth police said.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2025
Her case has not been solved, though a tape unearthed in 2004 provided some possible assailants, and nothing involving Gein, who was cleared of any connection later in 1957.
—Jr Radcliffe, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Two people were killed and three were seriously injured when an assailant rammed a car into people at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue and then attacked people with a knife.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assailant
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Jon Haworth, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2025
The victim, whose name and age the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office has not released, fought inside and outside the store with the assailant, Fort Worth police said.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2025
Her case has not been solved, though a tape unearthed in 2004 provided some possible assailants, and nothing involving Gein, who was cleared of any connection later in 1957.
—Jr Radcliffe, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Two people were killed and three were seriously injured when an assailant rammed a car into people at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue and then attacked people with a knife.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 5 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 15 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
assailant
noun
as·sail·ant
ə-ˈsā-lənt
: a person who commits criminal assault
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