assault 1 of 2

noun

ə-ˈsȯlt How to pronounce assault (audio)
Definition of assaultnext
1
as in attack
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence was arrested for his assault of the bystander

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in violation
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

assault

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to attack
to take sudden, violent action against was found guilty of assaulting an officer enemy forces assaulted the city

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to violate
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

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb assault contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of assault are assail, attack, bombard, and storm. While all these words mean "to make an onslaught upon," assault suggests a direct attempt to overpower by suddenness and violence of onslaught.

commandos assaulted the building from all sides

When could assail be used to replace assault?

While the synonyms assail and assault are close in meaning, assail implies attempting to break down resistance by repeated blows or shots.

assailed the enemy with artillery fire

When is it sensible to use attack instead of assault?

Although the words attack and assault have much in common, attack implies taking the initiative in a struggle.

plan to attack the town at dawn

When would bombard be a good substitute for assault?

The words bombard and assault are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bombard applies to attacking with bombs or shells.

bombarded the city nightly

When is storm a more appropriate choice than assault?

The words storm and assault can be used in similar contexts, but storm implies attempting to break into a defended position.

preparing to storm the fortress

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 assault
Noun
Navy workhorse Commissioned in 1995, the USS Boxer belongs to the Wasp-class of amphibious assault ships. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026 Officers responding to a 911 call about an assault in progress found the 44-year-old victim with a gunshot wound to the head and a 39-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg. — Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
In January, the two men, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, were charged in a federal criminal complaint with forcibly assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers in performance of their official duties. — Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026 Regan is accused of assaulting a fellow trooper at the ReelHouse brewpub in Marina Bay on June 26 in a one-sided fight that was shown in a video taken off the bar’s security camera. — Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for assault
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assault
  1. attack
  2. violation
  3. raid
  4. violate
  5. offensive
  6. rape
  7. storm
  8. force
Noun
  • Detectives charged him with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon for the vicious attack that killed his mother, 57-year-old Josefa Soto de Guzman, on Friday.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Just like Ejva, who suddenly needs to learn how to protect the herd and make her family proud, even when a violent attack leaves her struggling.
    — Marta Balaga, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of attack
Noun
  • The violations on the report include employees not having a food handler card, as well as no drain plugs being seen when observing the plumbing.
    — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The states argue that Meta withheld relevant information from users and parents, who might have benefited from knowing the ineffectiveness of the feature and others like it, constituting a violation of consumer protection laws.
    — John Ruwitch, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of violation
Verb
  • Thieves on Thursday raided the Treasure of Villena -- one of the greatest Bronze Age gold collections -- at a museum in the Spanish city of Villena, taking most of the 50-plus mainly gold bracelets, bowls, bottles and other items on display.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Mundubile, who rejected the election result as neither free nor fair, had been in hiding since security forces raided his Lusaka home during the election period.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of raid
Verb
  • In its March 9 lawsuit, Anthropic alleged the government violated its right to free speech under the First Amendment to the Constitution by retaliating against its views on AI safety.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The administration is appealing a June ruling by a lower court that the ban probably violated the troops’ constitutional rights and cannot be enforced against those currently serving while the litigation continues.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of violate
Noun
  • The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has sued several states that have tried to treat prediction market sites as a form of gambling, a type of legal offensive the agency has never before embarked on.
    — Bobby Allyn, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
  • More than four decades ago, after months of setbacks in the war against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, thousands of young Iranian troops launched a surprise offensive that turned the tide.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of offensive
Noun
  • The raid underscores gangs’ push to seize strategic mountain corridors around upscale Pétion-Ville, even as armed groups now control most of Port-au-Prince and nationwide killings, rapes and kidnappings surge.
    — Pierre-Richard Luxama, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • In cases of rape and murder, the punishment is life imprisonment.
    — Arshad R. Zargar, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of rape
Verb
  • Gauff, who won the 2023 title beating Karolina Muchova, stormed out to a 5-0 lead in the first set on Sunday before winning 6-2.
    — Jeff Wallner, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Or what about storming the field, the tradition that follows a momentous win, when order dissolves and players brace themselves for a horde of fans pouring out of the stands.
    — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of storm
Verb
  • As more cars wrecked behind the incident, NASCAR was forced to throw the caution flag — freezing the field with Preece in front.
    — Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Sometimes, operators were forced to drain one pond and divert its water to save fish in another, the Hungarian Aquaculture and Fisheries Inter-branch Organization said in early August.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of force

Phrases Containing assault

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assassins
assault
assault boat
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Cite this Entry

“Assault.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assault. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on assault

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about assault

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