as in attackers
one who violently sets upon another
the darkness prevented me from getting a good look at my assailant
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Recent Examples of assailants
The assailants, some armed, also vandalized security cameras and a vacant guard shack and slashed the tires of vehicles in the parking lot, authorities said.
—
Sue Ambrose, Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026
He was forced into a car by a group of assailants, leaving behind the friend who reported the incident to the police.
—CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
The three assailants ran further into the Amtrak station and have not been caught.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
The assailants ambushed a police vehicle and killed one officer in Kohat, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
—ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026
Perez and three others — one armed with a gun — went looking for Smokey’s assailants.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 19 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
The assailants, prosecutors allege, arrived in a sport utility vehicle in which two other people sat.
—Emerson Clarridge
updated February 6, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2026
Sue Ambrose, Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026
He was forced into a car by a group of assailants, leaving behind the friend who reported the incident to the police.
—CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
The three assailants ran further into the Amtrak station and have not been caught.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
The assailants ambushed a police vehicle and killed one officer in Kohat, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
—ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026
Perez and three others — one armed with a gun — went looking for Smokey’s assailants.
—Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 19 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
The assailants, prosecutors allege, arrived in a sport utility vehicle in which two other people sat.
—Emerson Clarridge
updated February 6, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assailants
attackers
Noun
-
Apple has released multiple fixes for the underlying bugs attackers used to make Darksword.—
AJ Vicens,
USA Today,
18 Mar. 2026
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With the Sharks trying to cut into the Oilers’ two-goal lead late in the third period, coach Ryan Warsofsky pulled goalie Nedeljkovic and had six attackers on the ice.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Assailants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assailants. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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