1
as in rape
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
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2
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in to attack
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
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Recent Examples of assault
Jeanna Smialek, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Jan. 2023
Within days of his assault on White, Seneca allegedly attempted to kidnap a different man and allegedly kidnapped another, the Justice Department said in a previous statement.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 26 Jan. 2023
Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 24 Feb. 2025
According to French outlet Le Monde, the suspect has been accused of assaulting 299 children between 1989 and 2014.
—Becca Longmire, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assault
Noun
That is why the Fed is taking a cautious stance and trying to avoid pulling back prematurely from its assault on inflation.
—Jeanna Smialek, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Jan. 2023
Within days of his assault on White, Seneca allegedly attempted to kidnap a different man and allegedly kidnapped another, the Justice Department said in a previous statement.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 26 Jan. 2023
Verb
He was sentenced in February 2020 but then also assaulted a inmate while in prison, the news release said.
—Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 24 Feb. 2025
According to French outlet Le Monde, the suspect has been accused of assaulting 299 children between 1989 and 2014.
—Becca Longmire, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for assault
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assault
Noun
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Several celebrities have opened up about their experiences with Diddy, specifically his parties, since the Bad Boy co-founder was accused of rape, assault, and more.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
6 Mar. 2025
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As part of a separate investigation, the Tate brothers are wanted by police in the U.K. over allegations of rape, human trafficking and tax evasion.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
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But in light of ongoing attacks against PayPal accounts using emails sent from genuine PayPal addresses, how will this help protect you from hackers and scammers?—
Davey Winder,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
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Hamas started the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, attack that left 1,200 dead in Israel, mostly civilians, and took some 250 hostage.—
Samy Magdy and David Rising,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The hearing stemmed from a defense motion to suppress the investigative genetic genealogy evidence, as the defense argued the testing violated Kohberger’s constitutional rights and its results should be thrown out.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN,
1 Mar. 2025
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Revisiting cases against crypto firms — especially those which violated the SEC's rules but were not alleged to have defrauded investors — has been broadly anticipated.—
Hannah Lang,
USA TODAY,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
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After it was flagged to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in 2016, her home was raided.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Shortly thereafter, federal agents raided the Department of Education’s (DOE) headquarters at Tweed Courthouse, searching for further evidence of corruption.—
Matt Gonzales,
New York Daily News,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Poppy Alexander, a partner at Whistleblower Partners who represents whistleblowers reporting corporate FCPA violations, echoes this thinking.—
Kristen Edgreen Kaufman,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
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The violations for each of the officers included standard of conduct violations, death investigation procedure violations and report preparation violations.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Change is a constant in most companies, but the ongoing onslaught of organizational change initiatives is creating frustration, exhaustion and burnout for many employees.—
Elizabeth Baskin,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
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Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago in an onslaught that has killed tens of thousands and displaced about 10 million people.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
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You are not forced to go far away to film something that’s far.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Mar. 2025
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However, much to her dismay, she was then forced to treat Damien amid the chaos at the hospital as the heat dome in Seattle continued.—
Stephanie Wenger,
People.com,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Four men, including Huttle, with Northwest Indiana ties were among the more than 1,500 people pardoned by Trump last week for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Feb. 2025
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The awards show went on against the odds but there was further drama on the night when actress Adèle Haenel and director Céline Sciamma stormed out of the auditorium in protest at the Best Director win for Polanski.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
28 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Assault.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assault. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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