1
as in violated
to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse with a person unwilling or unable to give consent
was registered as a sex offender after assaulting the victim
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in attacked
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of assaulted
Three weeks later, Jalloh allegedly assaulted an older male and stomped his head into the ground.
—
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 9 Mar. 2026
The American Nurses Association found that one in four nurses reported being physically assaulted on the job.
—Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026
At roughly nine thousand three hundred feet above sea level, the thin subzero air assaulted my lungs immediately, and the reflective background and uninterrupted nothingness attracted my focus to hints of pastel colors.
—Cree Lefavour, New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2026
Using that spurious justification, ICE agents have detained, assaulted, and even — in the case of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti — killed people for recording.
—Andrew Case, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
The gunman who carried out the mass shooting last weekend in Austin, Texas, assaulted a woman three months earlier at a Tesla facility, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Texas.
—Jason Allen, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
In one call, a man is heard sobbing after being assaulted by another detainee.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
The alert states Morel had assaulted several students and was wanted on multiple arrest warrants.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
Seitz said the men had assaulted him, and that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and deputies had violated his civil rights, inflicted emotional stress, defamed him and conspired to keep the matter quiet.
—Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2026
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 9 Mar. 2026
The American Nurses Association found that one in four nurses reported being physically assaulted on the job.
—Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026
At roughly nine thousand three hundred feet above sea level, the thin subzero air assaulted my lungs immediately, and the reflective background and uninterrupted nothingness attracted my focus to hints of pastel colors.
—Cree Lefavour, New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2026
Using that spurious justification, ICE agents have detained, assaulted, and even — in the case of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti — killed people for recording.
—Andrew Case, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
The gunman who carried out the mass shooting last weekend in Austin, Texas, assaulted a woman three months earlier at a Tesla facility, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Texas.
—Jason Allen, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2026
In one call, a man is heard sobbing after being assaulted by another detainee.
—ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
The alert states Morel had assaulted several students and was wanted on multiple arrest warrants.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 6 Mar. 2026
Seitz said the men had assaulted him, and that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and deputies had violated his civil rights, inflicted emotional stress, defamed him and conspired to keep the matter quiet.
—Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assaulted
Verb
-
In January, a judge ruled that the city violated the state’s open meeting law when council members made a plan behind closed doors to sweep 9,800 homeless encampments.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
In February, for instance, the Department of Justice joined a lawsuit brought by the 1776 Project Foundation, alleging that the Los Angeles Unified School District had violated the law by conditioning funding on the basis of student race.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Iran, Israel and the United States also have attacked oil and gas facilities since the war started, worsening supply concerns.—
Alex Veiga,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Its national oil company declared force majeure after the country’s sole oil refinery was attacked.—
Elaine Kurtenbach,
Fortune,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In 2010, soon after Oren’s failed audition for Million Dollar Listing, a woman named Rebecca Mandel alleges Alon drugged her at a club, then tricked her into coming back to his and Oren’s apartment, where the twins raped her together, according to a lawsuit.—
James D. Walsh,
Curbed,
10 Mar. 2026
-
After being raped no less than a half-dozen times, the girl was dropped off in San Francisco and made her way to a local hospital, authorities allege.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The day Johnson’s office hosted Mayor Kaohly Her at a Dayton’s Bluff coffee shop to hear from a panel of immigrant business owners, some participants arrived ashen-faced, reporting that ICE agents had raided a nearby Latin grocery on East Seventh Street.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Khamenka was detained in June after his house was raided and has spent more than a half year behind bars.—
Yuras Karmanau,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
With less than five seconds remaining in regulation, King and teammate George Natsvlishvili stormed up the court in hopes of a buzzer-beating shot.—
Tom Carothers,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The two sat up front and refused to move, angering the driver, who stormed off at every stop, all through the night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Assaulted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assaulted. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
