ASSAULTING Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

assaulting

verb

present participle of assault

as in violating

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

as in attacking

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 assaulting One of their bookshop employees was John Waters, later to become renowned as the taboo-assaulting filmmaker. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 3 July 2026 Kieran McCool, 57, was convicted of assaulting a community worker. — ABC News, 3 July 2026 The criminal case against Encinitas City Councilmember Luke Shaffer, who was initially charged with assaulting a resident during a parking dispute, was dismissed Wednesday after a judge ruled Shaffer completed a misdemeanor diversion program. — City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2026 Right before the flood ravaged the town, Bode visited Danny to try and make amends for physically assaulting him in a home invasion a decade prior. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026 Prior to her death, Caroline had to step down from her hosting duties after she was charged with assaulting her partner in December 2019. — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 30 June 2026 Federal prosecutors charged the suspect, 31-year-old Cole Allen of California, with attempting to assassinate the president and assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon. — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 26 June 2026 In 2017 and 2018, Werhan was arrested on separate occasions in Pittsfield, Massachusetts for allegedly assaulting his father and girlfriend, according to the warrant affidavit. — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 June 2026 In 2023, Majors was arrested for physically assaulting his then-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari; he was found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of assault and harassment later that year. — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for assaulting

Verb

Earlier this year, the European Commission found that the social media giant was violating EU law by failing to prevent children below 13 from accessing its platforms.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 6 July 2026
The complaint also accuses G-MAC of violating Title IX, a federal law that commands gender equity in college sports.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 6 July 2026

Definition of violating

Verb

Electing to keep his No 5 on the field, the Brazil head coach made a subtle tactical tweak that saw Endrick enter the action and brought Matheus Cunha further to the left flank — which unlocked the attacking prowess of Vinicius Junior.

— Mark Carey, New York Times, 6 July 2026
In patients with type 1 diabetes, the immune system starts attacking the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 July 2026

Definition of attacking

Verb

The 28-year-old was accused of raping a woman in the back of a car after meeting her outside a New Year’s party in London in January 2023.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 10 July 2026
Top Boy star Micheal Ward reportedly broke down in tears in court on Friday after being cleared of raping a woman.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2026

Definition of raping

Verb

Sacramento improved to 2-0 in the California Classic after storming back from an 18-point deficit to beat the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.

— Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 6 July 2026
They were easily beaten by Brazil in the final match of the group stage, and their head coach Steve Clarke came in for criticism after storming out of his post-match interview before stepping down from his role when their exit was confirmed on Saturday.

— Charlie Scott, New York Times, 28 June 2026

Definition of storming

Verb

More than a thousand people across Europe are dead, often as a result of the fact that nighttime temperatures stayed high, robbing bodies of the chance to cope.

— Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 9 July 2026
The race ended under a safety car, though, robbing fans of a sprint to the end.

— Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 5 July 2026

Definition of robbing

Verb

Prosecutors, meanwhile, have alleged that Mangione meticulously planned the killing for months, documenting his thoughts in journals and traveling across the country before ambushing Thompson in New York City.

— Stepheny Price , Michael Ruiz , Maria Paronich, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026
Lit up by minor-leaguers ambushing first-pitch fastballs?

— Levi Weaver, New York Times, 8 June 2026

Definition of ambushing

Browse Nearby Words

assaulters

assaulting

assaultive

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“Assaulting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assaulting. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of assaulting

verb

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