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

In the federal cases involving Bartlett, English and Wolfer, the courts found both that Iran manufactured or supplied the weapons used in the attacks and that the assailants were trained or directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026

The drones will be implemented this school year at Boyd Anderson High in Lauderdale Lakes but will only be deployed in the event of an active assailant, Hepburn said. — Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 1 Aug. 2026

In a blind rage after watching his brother die, Duke catches up to one of their assailants and beats him to death — with a crowd watching. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 July 2026

The drones are designed to use a combination of sirens, strobe lights and pepper gel to overwhelm the assailant. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 29 July 2026

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