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
Relevance
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
Mark Price, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Two teenagers were subsequently arrested and charged in connection with his assault.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
McGregor also pleaded guilty to assault for punching an elderly man in a pub in Dublin in 2019, and was banned from driving in Ireland for two years over six driving offences in 2022.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assault
Noun
An argument in the checkout line at Publix escalated to felony assault when a man waited in the parking lot to attack a couple with bug spray, according to investigators in Florida.
—Mark Price, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Two teenagers were subsequently arrested and charged in connection with his assault.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
While the Dirksen courthouse is often a visible rallying point for protesters, anyone arrested is unlikely to be processed in the building unless they are accused of assaulting a federal official or damaging federal property.
—Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
McGregor also pleaded guilty to assault for punching an elderly man in a pub in Dublin in 2019, and was banned from driving in Ireland for two years over six driving offences in 2022.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assault
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assault
Noun
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As aid groups say famine has already taken hold, the assault risks the lives of remaining hostages—captured by Hamas in its October 2023 attack—while Netanyahu faces mounting political turmoil at home, even as Washington continues to hold Hamas responsible for prolonging the conflict.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Even when put under lighter sanctions in 2018, during the Salisbury chemical attack, claims of election interference, and criminal cyber operations continued.—
Earl Carr,
Forbes.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The bills, named for the global pop star — and the frantic rush to get tickets for her shows around the country — strengthen penalties for using bots to buy tickets in bulk and give the state attorney general the ability to investigate potential violations of the law.—
Arpan Lobo,
Freep.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Expending taxpayer funds on a capital project without secured or approved funding is both fiscally irresponsible and a violation of sound budgeting practices.—
Penny Weaver,
Arkansas Online,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
However, a Minnesota court struck down the binary trigger ban, arguing that the legislature violated the state constitution’s single-subject clause by burying the ban inside a sprawling spending bill.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Sep. 2025
-
And Congress is unlikely to grant him new tariff powers after the courts just ruled that doing so unilaterally violated the separation of powers.—
Brett Erickson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Jordan Garcia, a veteran community organizer with the Colorado branch of the American Friends Service Committee, travelled to Cedar Run, one of the Denver housing complexes that was raided, to record video and provide assistance.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Private equity firms have long cultivated a reputation for raiding Wall Street’s analyst pool, to the point where investment banks had to establish stronger boundaries recently.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For more than three years, Ukrainian soldiers, conscripts and ordinary civilians have given their lives to defend their country’s borders, and Vasyanovych is speaking to Variety just days before the latest onslaught of Russian missiles on Kyiv.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The component responsible for this, the divertor, must withstand this incredible onslaught, making its design a critical engineering challenge for the viability of fusion power.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Mazzei's ruling pointed out that whole genome sequencing was also used to solve the 1982 cold case rape and murder of 9-year-old Daralyn Johnson in Idaho, resulting in two consecutive life sentences for David Allen Dalrymple.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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At the time, Johnson was planning to open three new rape crisis centers in London, and Low wrote that the future Queen shared a story from her own personal experience.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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France’s government has collapsed after a vote of no confidence on Monday, forcing Prime Minister Francois Bayrou out of office after just nine months on the job.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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Quarterback Brock Purdy, who delivered a clutch, game-winning drive after throwing two interceptions, has a bad shoulder and toe that could force him to miss Week 2.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Tony and Zive take off, eluding Henry and the Interpol agents storming the hospital.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
4 Sep. 2025
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The song debuted in the top 10 of the Hot 100, a reminder that even amid chaos, Cardi can still storm the charts.—
Carl Lamarre,
Billboard,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Assault.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assault. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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