1
as in violations
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
Relevance
2
as in attacks
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence
was arrested for his assault of the bystander
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in rapes
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
2
as in raids
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 assaults
Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2025
Vril and Agartha have thrived in part because of the way the editors mix brainrot and bigotry, disguising their ideological assaults in the fried fog of GifTok rap gibberish.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025
The crew allegedly used violence to enforce its territory including shootings, murder and assaults and retaliated against witnesses who cooperated with law enforcement.
—Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Pahani talks solemnly of the horrific assaults by the Iranian authorities on women who sought to overturn the hijab ruling.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
Alongside increasing assaults on indigenous peoples, the next few years saw mass Spanish expeditions and the establishment of new colonies.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Each admitted to taking part in both assaults during police interviews, according to prosecutors.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
White House officials previously said ICE agents have experienced an increase in assaults.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
His daughter-in-law particularly suffered from these nocturnal assaults and became ill.
—Robert Eggers, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 18 Oct. 2025
The Kid also physically assaults Apollonia at one point.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 17 Oct. 2025
Continue reading … SKY SCUFFLE – Passenger allegedly assaults Alaska Airlines crew members, forces emergency landing at Boise Airport.
—FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
Ising’s case is among a series of incidents The Star has reported on in recent months in which fire department employees charged with serious crimes — including assaults, a felony drug case and multiple DWIs — were allowed to remain on the job, some for years.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2025
Vril and Agartha have thrived in part because of the way the editors mix brainrot and bigotry, disguising their ideological assaults in the fried fog of GifTok rap gibberish.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 24 Oct. 2025
The crew allegedly used violence to enforce its territory including shootings, murder and assaults and retaliated against witnesses who cooperated with law enforcement.
—Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Pahani talks solemnly of the horrific assaults by the Iranian authorities on women who sought to overturn the hijab ruling.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025
Alongside increasing assaults on indigenous peoples, the next few years saw mass Spanish expeditions and the establishment of new colonies.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Each admitted to taking part in both assaults during police interviews, according to prosecutors.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
White House officials previously said ICE agents have experienced an increase in assaults.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
His daughter-in-law particularly suffered from these nocturnal assaults and became ill.
—Robert Eggers, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
The White House told ProPublica that anyone who assaults federal immigration agents would be prosecuted.
—Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 18 Oct. 2025
The Kid also physically assaults Apollonia at one point.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 17 Oct. 2025
Continue reading … SKY SCUFFLE – Passenger allegedly assaults Alaska Airlines crew members, forces emergency landing at Boise Airport.
—FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assaults
Noun
-
Racing co-owner Michael Jordan to sue NASCAR in federal court, alleging antitrust violations.—
Jeff Gluck,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The process of retrieving remains is plagued a deep sense of distrust that has prevailed between the two parties both throughout the past two years of war and in a ceasefire period already marked by dueling accusations of violations.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This mountainous region is known for its lush forests, lakes and valleys – and for being a hotspot for this year’s deadly bear attacks in Japan.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a large portion of Iran's ballistic missile arsenal was destroyed during the first hours of the aerial attacks.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
At the end of that game, Alma psychically rapes the protagonist, a psychic soldier named Beckett, and becomes pregnant with another child.—
Will Borger,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Lanier rapes Forsythe during a job interview, which O’Brien recounts in upsetting, unwavering detail.—
Jared Sullivan,
The Atlantic,
17 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
The episode sees Marge revisit her nostalgia for a Dawson's Creek-esque '90s teen drama as Lisa raids her mom's closet for vintage threads with the help of fashion-forward classmates Devin (Cole Escola) and Vidalia (Stephanie Hsu).—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Appalachian State’s victory at Michigan in 2007 remains the greatest example of what can happen when a good FCS team walks into your house and raids the fridge, and everything else, but leaves the dog.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
There’s something rare about Swain, who is a young brainiac, but one who has built his business the old-fashioned, pre-quant-trading and Excel models Wall Street way, via charm offensives that weave webs of tight relationships few rivals can match.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
1 Nov. 2025
-
Since October 2023, Israel's ground and air offensives in Gaza have displaced more than 2 million people and killed more than 68,500 Palestinians, according to the AP.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The unions argue that carrying out permanent layoffs during a funding lapse violates the Antideficiency Act, which bars agencies from obligating funds without congressional authorization, and exceeds executive authority under the Administrative Procedure Act.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The plaintiffs filed their lawsuit in federal court on June 13, and were already engaged in a separate legal challenge in Pulaski County Circuit Court that claims the program violates the Arkansas Constitution.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But as Polarity storms through the door, sending shockwaves through the room, Marie is freed from Godolkin’s grasp.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
22 Oct. 2025
-
After a beat, Eilish is seen yanking herself away and storms off, surrounded by security with an angry scowl on her face.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But André, who Bonitzer has named after the early surrealist André-Aimé-René Masson, soon confronts our man with a situation that — at least on some distant subconscious level — forces him to re-evaluate his metrics.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
29 Oct. 2025
-
This structural gap seriously limits access to highly specialized medical care and forces many countries to rely on training centers abroad, creating imbalances in both quality and equity.—
Dr. Victor Raúl Castillo Mantilla,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Assaults.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assaults. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share