assault

noun

as·sault | \ ə-ˈsȯlt

Definition of assault

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a violent physical or verbal attack

b : a military attack usually involving direct combat with enemy forces an assault on the enemy's air base

c : a concerted effort (as to reach a goal or defeat an adversary) an assault on drug trafficking

2 law

a : a threat or attempt to inflict offensive physical contact or bodily harm on a person (as by lifting a fist in a threatening manner) that puts the person in immediate danger of or in apprehension (see apprehension sense 1) of such harm or contact — compare battery sense 1b

b : rape entry 1 sense 1

assault

verb

assaulted; assaulting; assaults

Definition of assault (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to make an assault on : to attack violently assaulted a police officer

2 : rape sense 1 The victim was sexually assaulted.

intransitive verb

: to make an assault

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Choose the Right Synonym for assault

Verb

attack, assail, assault, bombard, storm mean to make an onslaught upon. attack implies taking the initiative in a struggle. plan to attack the town at dawn assail implies attempting to break down resistance by repeated blows or shots. assailed the enemy with artillery fire assault suggests a direct attempt to overpower by suddenness and violence of onslaught. Commandos assaulted the building from all sides. bombard applies to attacking with bombs or shells. bombarded the city nightly storm implies attempting to break into a defended position. preparing to storm the fortress

Examples of assault in a Sentence

Noun

She was injured in a brutal assault. the body of the murdered woman also showed signs of assault

Verb

He was arrested for assaulting a police officer. She verbally assaulted one of her coworkers. Enemy forces assaulted the city.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Dick’s Sporting Goods Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. paid a price for its February decision to lift its buying age to 21 for guns and ammunition and end sales of assault-style weapons. — Khadeeja Safdar, WSJ, "Retail Report Card for 2018: From Walmart to Tiffany’s," 29 Dec. 2018 Lasers attached to fighter jets, drones, or even cargo planes will attack targets on the ground and in the air at the speed of light, making the assaults nearly impossible for enemy forces to dodge. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The Air Force Will Test Laser Weapons by 2021," 3 Dec. 2018 In short, that schools would have zero obligation to start the formal complaint process if claims of assault are raised with coaches or resident advisers. — Jess Davidson, Glamour, "Why Does the Department of Education Want to Put Sexual Assault Survivors on Trial?," 28 Nov. 2018 In another room, the other new piece in the exhibition, World Record, speaks directly to the assault imposed by Lies. — Chloe Schama, Vogue, "Paola Pivi’s Transporting Exhibition Is a Whimsical Comment on Dark Realities," 15 Nov. 2018 Apart from the assault itself, these past couple of weeks have been the hardest of my life. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "Read the Full Transcript of Christine Blasey Ford's Opening Statement at Brett Kavanaugh's Hearing," 27 Sep. 2018 From the car, patrol officers seized six guns, three of them assault-style rifles, plus the cash, suspected marijuana oil and several bottles of powerful codeine cough syrup without a valid prescription. — David Ovalle, miamiherald, "'We got bills to pay, sweetie.' Cops forced to return stripper's $19,934 in cash," 6 July 2018 He is believed to be in possession of an assault-style rifle and getting help from someone known to him. — Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, "Murder warrant issued for suspect in Mt. Clemens block-party shoot-out," 6 July 2018 In Dunbar’s case, a Mandalay Bay housekeeping employee noticed the guns and summoned supervisors before federal agents arrived and seized three pistols, a bolt-action rifle and the two assault-style weapons. — Washington Post, "Lawyers: 2014 arrest at Vegas hotel precursor to killings," 6 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

As a soldier in that conflict, he was given 500 lashes for assaulting a British officer. — Alan Pell Crawford, WSJ, "‘Daniel Morgan: A Revolutionary Life’ Review: A Brawling Upstart and His Victory," 14 Dec. 2018 Devin Kelley, who killed 26 people at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, last year, had been convicted of domestic violence in 2012 for assaulting his spouse and their child, as Vox’s German Lopez notes. — Anna North, Vox, "At Chicago’s Mercy Hospital, domestic violence became multiple homicide. It’s part of a disturbing pattern.," 21 Nov. 2018 Former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner, who served just three of his six-month sentence in jail for assaulting an unconscious woman in 2015, will not have his conviction overturned. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "Brock Turner Loses Appeal To Overturn Sexual Assault Conviction," 10 Aug. 2018 In that race, Crowley supported Assemblyman Francisco Moya, who went on to defeat Hiram Monserrate, a former council member and state senator who was expelled from the legislature after a 2009 conviction for assaulting his girlfriend. — Danielle Tcholakian, Longreads, "An Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Reading List," 10 July 2018 Wiggins remained at large after being charged the day before for assaulting Castro-Miles and stealing that same car from her, according to a report from the Kingston Springs Police Department. — Jonathan Mattise, chicagotribune.com, "Suspect accused of burning Tennessee deputy's body after killing him," 8 June 2018 Nassar had pleaded guilty to assaulting seven people in the Lansing area between 1998 and 2015. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Fox News, "Michigan gubernatorial candidate joined by Nassar victim's parents in latest campaign ads," 19 Sep. 2018 Boucher pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress and was sentenced last month in Kentucky. — Bruce Schreiner, The Seattle Times, "Prosecutors appeal sentence for man who attacked Rand Paul," 2 July 2018 But Johnson pleaded guilty in October 2017 to assaulting only three of those women. — Fleming Smith, ajc, "Former prison guard sentenced to 51 months for assaulting female inmates," 12 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'assault.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Statistics for assault

Last Updated

21 Jan 2019

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Time Traveler for assault

The first known use of assault was in the 13th century

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More Definitions for assault

assault

noun

English Language Learners Definition of assault

(Entry 1 of 2)

law : the crime of trying or threatening to hurt someone physically

: a violent physical attack

: a military attack

assault

verb

English Language Learners Definition of assault (Entry 2 of 2)

: to violently attack (someone or something)

See the full definition for assault in the English Language Learners Dictionary

assault

noun

as·sault | \ ə-ˈsȯlt

Kids Definition of assault

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a violent or sudden attack a military assault on the castle “… this is assault,” Mr. Eberhardt said. “You can't choke another person.”— Carl Hiaasen, Hoot

2 : an unlawful attempt or threat to harm someone

assault

verb

assaulted; assaulting

Kids Definition of assault (Entry 2 of 2)

: to violently attack Enemy forces assaulted the city.

assault

noun

as·sault | \ ə-ˈsȯlt

Legal Definition of assault

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the crime or tort of threatening or attempting to inflict immediate offensive physical contact or bodily harm that one has the present ability to inflict and that puts the victim in fear of such harm or contact — compare battery

2 : the crime of assault accompanied by battery specifically : sexual assault in this entry

— called also assault and battery

— aggravated assault

: a criminal assault accompanied by aggravating factors: as

a : a criminal assault that is committed with an intent to cause or that causes serious bodily injury especially through the use of a dangerous weapon

b : a criminal assault accompanied by the intent to commit or the commission of a felony (as rape) — compare simple assault in this entry

— assault with intent

: a criminal assault committed with the intent to commit another specified crime assault with intent to rob assault with intent to kill

— civil assault

: an assault considered as a tort rather than as a crime — compare criminal assault in this entry

— criminal assault

: an assault considered as a crime rather than as a tort — compare civil assault in this entry

Note: An assault may be both a criminal assault and a civil assault.

— felonious assault

: a criminal assault that is classified as a felony and involves the infliction of serious bodily injury by the use of a dangerous weapon

— indecent assault

: intentional offensive sexual contact that does not amount to sexual intercourse or involve penetration and that is committed without consent of the victim and without the intent to commit rape

— sexual assault

: sexual contact usually that is forced upon a person without consent or inflicted upon a person who is incapable of giving consent (as because of age or physical or mental incapacity) or who places the assailant (as a doctor) in a position of trust — see also rape

Note: Sexual assault in its most serious forms (often classified as first degree sexual assault) involves nonconsensual sexual penetration. In its less serious forms it may be the equivalent of statutory rape.

— simple assault

: a criminal assault that is not accompanied by any aggravating factors (as infliction of serious injury or use of a dangerous weapon) — compare aggravated assault in this entry

Note: Simple assault is usually classified as a misdemeanor.