1
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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2
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
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Recent Examples of assaulting
At least one other Portland ICE building protester has been sentenced to prison, but not for assaulting a federal officer.
—
ABC News, 11 June 2026
One person was charged with assaulting a police officer.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 11 June 2026
So San Antonio wins Game 3 of the NBA championship series in New York and Knicks fans respond afterward by assaulting Spurs fans who traveled for the game, ripping the Spurs jerseys off their backs.
—Greg Cote
june 10, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026
After game 3, several videos showing Knicks fans assaulting (verbally, and in some cases physically) Spurs fans started popping up online, prompting several players such as the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama and the Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns to condemn the harassment.
—Joan Kennedy, Vogue, 10 June 2026
Some states have laws that make assaulting transit operators a felony, such as New York and Arizona.
—Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026
The perpetrators allegedly transported victims to isolated islands near New Providence before assaulting them.
—Daniel R. Depetris, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Apr. 2025
The man allegedly grabbed the woman from behind and held a knife to her side before assaulting her on the sidewalk, police said, ABC News reports.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 9 Apr. 2025
In the early morning hours when inexperienced corrections officers were on duty, the two inmates fled the kitchen, raping, assaulting and tying up two workers while en route to the tower.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
ABC News, 11 June 2026
One person was charged with assaulting a police officer.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 11 June 2026
So San Antonio wins Game 3 of the NBA championship series in New York and Knicks fans respond afterward by assaulting Spurs fans who traveled for the game, ripping the Spurs jerseys off their backs.
—Greg Cote
june 10, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026
After game 3, several videos showing Knicks fans assaulting (verbally, and in some cases physically) Spurs fans started popping up online, prompting several players such as the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama and the Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns to condemn the harassment.
—Joan Kennedy, Vogue, 10 June 2026
Some states have laws that make assaulting transit operators a felony, such as New York and Arizona.
—Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026
The perpetrators allegedly transported victims to isolated islands near New Providence before assaulting them.
—Daniel R. Depetris, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Apr. 2025
The man allegedly grabbed the woman from behind and held a knife to her side before assaulting her on the sidewalk, police said, ABC News reports.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 9 Apr. 2025
In the early morning hours when inexperienced corrections officers were on duty, the two inmates fled the kitchen, raping, assaulting and tying up two workers while en route to the tower.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assaulting
Verb
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Jiankui spent three years in prison and was fined three million yuan (about $430,000 at the time) for violating medical regulations.—
Laura Dattaro,
Scientific American,
10 June 2026
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The determination concludes a six-month investigation by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division into Davis Med’s admissions practices, which found the school guilty of violating a landmark 2023 Supreme Court decision that banned affirmative action in university admissions.—
Sophia Mandt,
The Washington Examiner,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Just attacking everything with strikes.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
11 June 2026
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Police in the northwest Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights have released a sketch of a man accused of attacking and choking a woman this past weekend.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Verb
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An Oroville man and accused cult leader was sentenced to 225 years in prison Tuesday for molesting four young girls and raping two women from the group, authorities said.—
Seamus Bozeman,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
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Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo said Lawhead was sentenced to spend 19 years in prison for brutally attacking a 71-year-old grandmother and raping her 11-year-old granddaughter in 1980 in Sacramento County.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
Verb
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The former tomb-raiding Angelina Jolie also happens to be a Gemini, which Wilton Regan says is compatible with her own air sign.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
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Even rural birds manage to find some human items, most likely by raiding farm bins or garages.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 June 2026
Verb
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For all the prior cinematic depictions of storming bunkers and camaraderie under fire, Pressure offers us the quiet heroism of rational restraint in the figure of James Stagg, who weathered his inner storms and bore the courage to be disliked.—
Daniel Jonah Wolpert,
NPR,
29 May 2026
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This revolutionary fervor culminated in both Fidel and Raúl, with roughly 140 rebel revolutionaries in tow, storming Cuba’s second-largest military installation, the Moncada Barracks, in July 1953.—
Drew Pittock,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Philadelphia Police are looking for three suspects accused of trying to blow up an ATM before robbing a convenience store in the city's Nicetown-Tioga neighborhood Sunday night.—
Alexandra Simon,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
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By Bay City News A Northern California man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for robbing three banks and carjacking a rideshare driver during a crime spree that spanned late 2024 and early 2025, prosecutors announced Friday.—
Bay City News,
Mercury News,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Lit up by minor-leaguers ambushing first-pitch fastballs?—
Levi Weaver,
New York Times,
8 June 2026
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Arizona’s offense set the tone for the night by absolutely ambushing Ray, needing just six pitches to plate four runs.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Assaulting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assaulting. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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