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
Perez and three others — one armed with a gun — went looking for Smokey’s assailants.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
The assailants, some armed, also vandalized security cameras and a guard shack and slashed the tires of vehicles in the parking lot, authorities said.
—Kevin Krause, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
Investigators believe the assailants then killed Van Dyke and fled from the scene.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026
Notably, one Coco robot ended up sleeping with the fishes last summer after it was apparently abducted by unknown assailants and dumped in a canal, according to a company report to the city.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for assailant
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Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
The assailants, some armed, also vandalized security cameras and a guard shack and slashed the tires of vehicles in the parking lot, authorities said.
—Kevin Krause, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
Investigators believe the assailants then killed Van Dyke and fled from the scene.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026
Notably, one Coco robot ended up sleeping with the fishes last summer after it was apparently abducted by unknown assailants and dumped in a canal, according to a company report to the city.
—Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 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 25 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
assailant
noun
as·sail·ant
ə-ˈsā-lənt
: a person who commits criminal assault
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