assault

  • 21assault — {{11}}assault (n.) late 14c., earlier asaut (c.1200), from O.Fr. asaut, assaut an attack, an assault, attacking forces (12c.), from V.L. *adsaltus attack, assault, from ad to (see AD (Cf. ad )) + L. saltus a leap, from salire to leap, spring (see …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 22assault — assaultable, adj. assaulter, n. /euh sawlt /, n. 1. a sudden, violent attack; onslaught: an assault on tradition. 2. Law. an unlawful physical attack upon another; an attempt or offer to do violence to another, with or without battery, as by… …

    Universalium

  • 23assault — 1 noun (C, U) 1 the crime of attacking someone: increases in violent assaults over the past decade | sexual assault: three years in prison for sexual assault 2 a military attack to take control of a place controlled by the enemy: the platoon s… …

    Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • 24assault — n. & v. n. 1 a violent physical or verbal attack. 2 a Law an act that threatens physical harm to a person (whether or not actual harm is done). b euphem. an act of rape. 3 (attrib.) relating to or used in an assault ({{}}assault craft; assault… …

    Useful english dictionary

  • 25Assault — n. & v. n. 1 a violent physical or verbal attack. 2 a Law an act that threatens physical harm to a person (whether or not actual harm is done). b euphem. an act of rape. 3 (attrib.) relating to or used in an assault ({{}}assault craft; assault… …

    Useful english dictionary

  • 26assault — 1. verb 1) he assaulted a police officer Syn: attack, hit, strike, punch, beat up, thump; pummel, pound, batter; informal clout, wallop, belt, clobber, hammer, bop, sock, deck, slug …

    Thesaurus of popular words

  • 27assault — A demonstration of an unlawful intent by one person to inflict immediate injury on the person of another then present; an intentional attempt by a person, by force or violence, to do an injury to the person of another; an attempt to commit a… …

    Ballentine's law dictionary

  • 28assault — 1. The climax of an attack, closing with the enemy in hand to hand fighting. 2. In an amphibious operation, the period of time between the arrival of the major assault forces of the amphibious task force in the objective area and the… …

    Military dictionary

  • 29assault — Synonyms and related words: abuse, aggravated assault, aggression, ambush, amphibious attack, armed assault, assail, assailing, assailment, attack, banzai attack, barbarize, batter, battering, battery, bear, bear upon, beat up, beating, berating …

    Moby Thesaurus

  • 30assault — I. noun Etymology: Middle English assaut, from Anglo French, from Vulgar Latin *assaltus, from assalire Date: 14th century 1. a. a violent physical or verbal attack b. a military attack usually involving direct combat with enemy forces c. a… …

    New Collegiate Dictionary