a sudden, violent attack; onslaught: an assault on tradition.
Law. an unlawful physical attack upon another; an attempt or offer to do violence to another, with or without battery, as by holding a stone or club in a threatening manner.
Military. the stage of close combat in an attack.
rape1.
verb (used with object)
to make an assault upon; attack; assail.
Origin of assault
1200–50; Middle English asaut<Old French <Medieval Latin assaltus (replacing Latin assultus), equivalent to Latin as-as- + saltus a leap (sal(īre) to leap + -tus suffix of v. action)
SYNONYMS FOR assault
1 onset, charge; invasion, aggression.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR assault ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for assault
5. See attack.
OTHER WORDS FROM assault
as·sault·a·ble,adjectiveas·sault·er,nouncoun·ter·as·sault,verb (used with object),nounnon·as·sault,noun
At least two more women have since come forward with similar allegations of assault.
ICE Deported a Woman Who Accused Guards of Sexual Assault While the Feds Were Still Investigating the Incident|by Lomi Kriel|September 15, 2020|ProPublica
This can buy time for B and T cells from the adaptive immune system to multiply into an army that can deliver a more precise and devastating assault if one is needed.
‘Trained Immunity’ Offers Hope in Fight Against Coronavirus|Esther Landhuis|September 14, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Harvey Weinstein was fighting criminal charges for a pattern of behavior that included hotel room assaults.
The Woman Propositioned by Alaska’s Former Lieutenant Governor Tells Her Story for the First Time|by Kyle Hopkins and Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News|September 10, 2020|ProPublica
The order called for a multi-agency assault on Section 230, involving the commerce and justice departments, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission.
Why the most controversial US internet law is worth saving|Amy Nordrum|September 9, 2020|MIT Technology Review
California is a bright, shining example that you can build a humming engine of economic growth, even in a state that embraces relatively high taxes and progressive values—an unforgivable assault on conservative worldviews.
In defense of California|James Temple|September 4, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Luckily, Tor was prepared for this sort of assault, and has built-in defenses to protect against it.
The Attack on the Hidden Internet|Marc Rogers|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In their midst stands a soldier with the Lebanese armed forces in a red beret, sporting an assault rifle and an unblinking stare.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda|Ruth Michaelson|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For them, the trauma of assault can be compounded by a lack of institutional support, and even disciplinary action.
Jameis Winston Cleared of Rape Like Every Other College Sports Star|Robert Silverman|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bill Cosby is facing allegations of assault and sexual misconduct by many women.
‘I Saved My Friend From Bill Cosby’|Lloyd Grove|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Although Korra looks at PTSD and assault with supernatural grandiosity, fans were quick to pick up on it in some forums.
Science-Fiction TV Finds a New Muse: Feminism|David Levesley|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I knew Brunow a great deal too well to think him likely to assault me after having put me on my guard by a threat.
In Direst Peril|David Christie Murray
In his ears there sounded surely the cries of Paris, urging him to the assault to the barricades of Fame.
A Spirit in Prison|Robert Hichens
Three times they mounted to the assault, here through the breach, yonder by means of their scaling ladders.
The Executioner's Knife|Eugne Sue
But on the 2nd of October the fortress, which had been heroically defended, was taken by assault.
The assault by sixteen thousand men in 1351 was stoutly opposed, and collapsed suddenly by proffers of peace.
The Story of Switzerland|Lina Hug
British Dictionary definitions for assault
assault
/ (əˈsɔːlt) /
noun
a violent attack, either physical or verbal
lawan intentional or reckless act that causes another person to expect to be subjected to immediate and unlawful violenceCompare battery (def. 4), assault and battery
the culmination of a military attack, in which fighting takes place at close quarters
(as modifier)assault troops
rape or attempted rape
verb(tr)
to make an assault upon
to rape or attempt to rape
Derived forms of assault
assaulter, nounassaultive, adjective
Word Origin for assault
C13: from Old French asaut, from Vulgar Latin assaltus (unattested), from assalīre (unattested) to leap upon; see assail