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
as in to attack
to take sudden, violent action against
was found guilty of assaulting an officer enemy forces assaulted the city
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of assault
Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025
Craig Wolfgang was arrested on suspicion of assault in the case.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025
Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 6 Nov. 2025
In 2022, a man broke into her San Francisco home, demanding to see her and assaulting her husband, Paul, with a hammer.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assault
Noun
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday charged the driver with suspicion of assault on a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
—Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025
Craig Wolfgang was arrested on suspicion of assault in the case.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
He’s charged with assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with a federal officer.
—Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 6 Nov. 2025
In 2022, a man broke into her San Francisco home, demanding to see her and assaulting her husband, Paul, with a hammer.
—Susan Page, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assault
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assault
Noun
-
All three nuclear powers have established their own nuclear triad, consisting of ICBMs, submarines armed with ballistic missiles and nuclear-capable aircraft, which ensure their forces can survive a first strike and retaliate, thereby deterring a nuclear attack.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
But in the final weeks of the race, both campaigns traded personal attacks.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The most common template for an insider trading violation is as follows.—
Samidh Guha,
ABC News,
9 Nov. 2025
-
In Chicago, the indelible image of a pastor in a clerical collar shot in the head with a pepper ball by agents standing on the rooftop of an ICE building is a direct violation of CBP’s use of force policy.—
Andy Rose 19 hr ago,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Just last week, Chicago and national media falsely accused law enforcement of raiding a daycare center.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Dance parties like the one in Iranshahr are still sometimes raided by the police.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
In August 2024, the Hales Corners Library Board voted unanimously to keep the books in the library's circulation and concluded Lewis-Lane and library staff did not violate library policies.—
Adrienne Davis,
jsonline.com,
5 Nov. 2025
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But Comey's attorneys raised separate concerns that by using those materials at all, the government may have violated Comey's rights -- not just by reviewing potentially privileged information, but also by revisiting evidence obtained by warrants that would now be considered stale.—
Alexander Mallin,
ABC News,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In May of this year, Russia sought to capitalize on this advantage with a big offensive.—
Thomas Wright,
The Atlantic,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Once sanctioned for terrorism by the West, the leader now appears to be on a global diplomatic charm offensive, bolstered by aggressive lobbying from regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Turkey, US allies eager to fill a power and economic vacuum left by Iran and Russia.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The organization announced an investigation by outside law firm Omnia Strategy in January 2024 after allegations of human rights abuses, including rape and torture.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
-
No More Shame, which focuses on the shocking rape trial of Gisèle Pelicot.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Police geared up and stormed the compound, using a hoe to knock the padlock off a door inside.—
Mick Krever,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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Players must focus on teamwork, communication and coordination to successfully complete orders before customers get angry and storm out.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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His rule finally came to an end in 1998 after the Asian financial crisis threw the country into economic turmoil, prompting widespread protests and forcing Suharto to resign – one of the last people power movements to sweep Southeast Asia and replace a Cold War-era autocrat with democracy.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
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The last of those darts was fired (initially on X) by Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, who is a resistance darling of the moment after forcing through new, Democrat-friendly congressional maps in his state last week.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Assault.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assault. Accessed 22 Nov. 2025.
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