1
as in attack
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence
was arrested for his assault of the bystander
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in violation
the act of forcing a person to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse
attended a class teaching women self-defense against assault
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
2
as in to attack
to take sudden, violent action against
was found guilty of assaulting an officer enemy forces assaulted the city
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of assault
Claire Franken, TVLine, 26 Sep. 2025
The ex-staffer, who quit in August, said he was punched, elbowed or kicked by youth over 10 times and reported three or four assaults to police.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office has charged Hernandez Santana with firing a gun into an inhabited building and assault with a semi-automatic firearm.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assault
Noun
Should Wendy and her friends be more worried about the non-xenomorph aliens still roaming the island, or the warships Yutani sent in for a full aerial assault?
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 26 Sep. 2025
The ex-staffer, who quit in August, said he was punched, elbowed or kicked by youth over 10 times and reported three or four assaults to police.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
Netanyahu's speech came as Israeli forced assaulted Gaza City amid famine conditions in the coastal territory.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office has charged Hernandez Santana with firing a gun into an inhabited building and assault with a semi-automatic firearm.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assault
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assault
Noun
-
The attack came two weeks after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated at a university in Utah.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Poor weather and battlefield obscurants continue to endanger warfighters as adversaries rely on these conditions to escape attacks.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
No violations of Polish airspace were reported.—
Emma Marsden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
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Portland sent a notice to the building’s private owners last week, saying ICE has committed code violations by boarding up windows and keeping some detainees in the holding facility for longer than 12 hours.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Joe LaCava violated Rory’s airspace on the 18th green while taunting the same gallery that had teased his player, Patrick Cantlay, who had reportedly declined to wear a team hat to protest the lack of player compensation at such a big event.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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The dispute cuts to the heart of how far government officials can pressure media outlets without violating the First Amendment.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The singer has been vocal about foregoing tour stops in the US, citing fears that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would raid the concert venues.—
Sandra Gonzalez,
CNN Money,
29 Sep. 2025
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The episode sees Marge revisit her nostalgia for a Dawson's Creek-esque '90s teen drama as Lisa raids her mom's closet for vintage threads with the help of fashion-forward classmates Devin (Cole Escola) and Vidalia (Stephanie Hsu).—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The onslaught began with a 53-yard TD strike from Gebhardt to Domonique Young.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Sep. 2025
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But the map faces an onslaught of attacks in the courtroom and, potentially, the ballot box.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Several investigations and studies revealed the facility was plagued with poor infrastructure and mismanagement, rapes, assaults, and allegations of medical malpractice.—
PJ Green
September 24,
Kansas City Star,
24 Sep. 2025
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Although the rapes went unsolved for decades, authorities were able to make developments in the investigation in 2022 with Cameron becoming a suspect in 2023 after DNA testing found a link between the then-unknown rapist and his daughter, according to ABC.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The event comes as the government is careening toward a potential shutdown that could force some 2 million troops to work without pay if a spending bill doesn't pass Congress by midnight Wednesday.—
Anne Flaherty,
ABC News,
30 Sep. 2025
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Modern inkjets, including ink tank printers, will rarely force you to spend time cleaning with manual commands.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kyle storms off and vows to find whoever is responsible.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
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And just when fans thought he was done, McIlroy stormed back to win the Irish Open, proving his form.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Assault.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assault. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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