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

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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 Russian state media reported that Robert Gilman’s sentence was extended in 2024 to 10 years for allegedly assaulting prison staff. — Reuters, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026 The week after the letter was sent, Manz was charged with assaulting a villager who got too close to the fence. — Zander Sherman, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026 In January 2018, he was charged with three counts of violating a domestic violence protective order and two counts of assaulting a female. — Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 7 Aug. 2026 His sentence was extended last year to 10 years after he was found guilty of assaulting prison guards. — Michael Casey, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026 The 33-year-old is also accused of assaulting a victim by discharging a fire extinguisher at them. — Joy Benedict, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026 Authorities say the man was charged with one count of assaulting the crew of an aircraft, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; as well as one count of common assault, which carries a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for assaulting

Verb

Rezaei accused Washington of violating the memorandum of understanding and launching attacks without first referring the issue to the dispute resolution committee.

— Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
The genocide case is before the International Court of Justice, where South Africa has accused Israel of violating the Genocide Convention.

— Arielle Kaden, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of violating

Verb

Iran has bombarded several of its neighbors’ data centers, and the United States responded by attacking one of Iran’s.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
That’s in stark contrast to their arachnid cousins, spiders, whose females that tend to be violent, attacking and eating the males.

— Christa Lesté-Lasserre, Scientific American, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of attacking

Verb

One of the three men accused of raping a young woman before she was killed wants to prevent her friends, family and supporters from wearing pink at the upcoming trial.

— Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Investigators found cell phone videos of him raping the children, taken from his point of view, the prosecutor said.

— John Annese, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of raping

Verb

Nearly 35 bodies and more than 100 sets of ashes were found by police raiding Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull in March 2024.

— Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026
As soon as movies could tell stories, their makers started raiding literary classics for material.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of raiding

Verb

Fatal influence cut off their offense, but Brie came storming back with a big right hand.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Moroccan forces beat back crowds with batons and tear gas at the gates to Ceuta, trying to prevent more from storming across into the tiny Spanish territory that juts on a spit of sandy land into the Mediterranean from Morocco.

— Michael Francis Gore, USA Today, 31 July 2026

Definition of storming

Verb

Tracy Daryl Mingo is accused of wearing various disguises while robbing metro Atlanta Circle Ks, Subways, and Family Dollars.

— Dan Raby, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Thieves have long used a variety of methods — tapping into ducts, hijacking tanker trucks or robbing directly from facilities of Petroleos Mexicanos, the state energy company known as Pemex.

— Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 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

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assaulters

assaulting

assaultive

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“Assaulting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assaulting. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of assaulting

verb

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