ASSAULTS Synonyms: 124 Similar and Opposite Words

assaults 1 of 2

noun

plural of assault

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

as in attacks

the act or action of setting upon with force or violence was arrested for his assault of the bystander

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

assaults

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of assault

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

as in raids

to take sudden, violent action against was found guilty of assaulting an officer enemy forces assaulted the city

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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

Noun

Schleinzer made a deliberate choice not to depict the assaults themselves, arguing that images carry a responsibility, particularly in a culture saturated with graphic representations of suffering. — Katherine Brodsky, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026 Misdemeanor assaults have increased 16% in transit, to 1,304 from 1,120. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 14 Oct. 2026 Karmy-Jones also claimed that after alleged assaults, Brand would pretend nothing had happened, often leaving abruptly or refusing to mention it again. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2026 Blair is also set to face separate charges from the FBI as the agency is responsible for investigating all assaults aboard aircraft. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026 As for what allegedly happened on Sunday night, the FBI gave her a summons for assaults within special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, a federal law enforcement source said. — Alice Gainer, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026 And the current news about the Cornell 7 is likely to further fracture students’ confidence in reporting future assaults altogether. — Kaitlyn M. Sims, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026 Over the same period, CATS reported 10 assaults, or less than four per every 10 million passenger trips, on the light rail, data CATS submitted to the federal government shows. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2026 Moscow and Kyiv have intensified their aerial assaults as progress along the 750-mile front line has largely ground to a halt. — Hanna Arhirova, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026

Verb

Anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. — Christina Fan, CBS News, 7 June 2026 Any passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates or interferes with airline crew members can lead to penalties of up to $43,658 per violation, according to the FAA. — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 3 May 2026 The Pios’ culture assaults the senses the moment players step onto campus. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2026 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

The hosts talk about the precedent set by smaller violations from other EPL teams.

— Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026
The Commerce Department would establish clawback provisions in the event that fraud or violations of these terms take place, James said.

— Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of violations

Verb

In that film’s story, Insiang (Hilda Koronel) metes out revenge against Dado (Ruel Vernal), her hateful mother’s lover, who rapes her after rejecting his advances.

— Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 10 July 2026
Through these photos, Dominique Pelicot is not ‘just’ casting an incestuous gaze on me, as was said during the investigation and the Mazan rapes trial.

— TIME, Time, 7 Apr. 2026

Definition of rapes

Verb

In the character's final scene, as the DEA raids her rural compound, Laurie ties a rope around her neck and jumps from the roof of her home.

— Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026
In the meantime, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) finally raids Laurie's property, thanks to the intel Rue had been giving them.

— Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 1 June 2026

Definition of raids

Noun

Ukraine can conduct localized offensives but not enough to shift the broader battlefield balance, despite mounting Russian losses.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
Only small offensives are possible Ukraine can conduct localized offensives but not enough to shift the broader battlefield balance, despite mounting Russian losses.

— Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of offensives

Verb

In their eyes, this policy violates their First Amendment rights, and the Sheley's have joined the federal case challenging the state's requirements.

— Chierstin Roth, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
While a judge recently ruled that the question had to stay on the ballot, the court has not ruled on whether the deal violates the city’s own charter, which requires a fair market-value proposal.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of violates

Noun

In fact, reported evidence suggests this software commitment (from a company making its revenue from hardware) has been crucial to Nvidia’s success in fending off onslaughts from other hardware vendors such as Intel.

— Nisha Talagala, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Ukraine has been largely helpless in similar Russian onslaughts in recent weeks.

— Tom Bowman, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026