assault

B2 Topic:Crime & Justice

US /əˈsɔlt/ UK /əˈsɒlt/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like assort /l/ vs /r/

Freq #2871

Meanings

1

verb
To attack someone violently.

The man was charged with assaulting a police officer.
2

noun
A violent physical attack on someone.

He was the victim of a brutal assault.
3

noun
A strong military attack on a place.

The army launched an assault on the enemy base.
4

verb
To strongly criticize someone or something in words.

The newspaper assaulted the company over its pollution record.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to attack someone violently. attack assail

2 noun · a violent physical attack... attack

3 noun · a strong military attack on... onslaught

4 verb · to strongly criticize... attack

More aggressionassailmentattempt offense offensiveonfallonrush onset strike

Opposites

defence defense

Word family

Forms assaultedassaultingassaults

Derived forms antiassaultapesaultassaultableassaulteeassaulterassaultivecounterassaultcyberassaultmicroassaultnonassaultnonassaultedreassault

Related forms fight

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

sexual assault
an attack involving unwanted sexual contact or activity, often through force or threats

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Assault entered English in the Middle English period and ultimately derives from Latin salire, “to leap.” Its sense developed from the image of jumping upon someone in an attack.

Etymology

From Middle English assaut, from Old French noun assaut, derived from the past participle of the verb assalir, from Late Latin assalīre, from Latin ad (“at, towards”) + salīre (“jump”). See also assail. Spelling Latinized around 1530 to add an l.

*sel- Proto-Indo-European assaut Middle English assalio la-lat ad Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Crime & Justice

External links

# assault

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /əˈsɔlt/
**IPA (UK):** /əˈsɒlt/
**Frequency rank:** 2871

## Meanings
1. To attack someone violently.
2. A violent physical attack on someone.
3. A strong military attack on a place.
4. To strongly criticize someone or something in words.

## Examples
- The man was charged with assaulting a police officer.
- He was the victim of a brutal assault.
- The army launched an assault on the enemy base.
- The newspaper assaulted the company over its pollution record.

## Synonyms
- aggression
- assailment
- attack
- attempt
- offense
- offensive
- onfall
- onrush
- onset
- onslaught
- strike

## Antonyms
- defence
- defense

## Derived Forms
- antiassault
- apesault
- assaultable
- assaultee
- assaulter
- assaultive
- counterassault
- cyberassault
- microassault
- nonassault
- nonassaulted
- reassault

## Related Forms
- fight

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *sel-
- Root: assaut
- Root: assalio
- Root: ad

## Etymology
From Middle English assaut, from Old French noun assaut, derived from the past participle of the verb assalir, from Late Latin assalīre, from Latin ad (“at, towards”) + salīre (“jump”). See also assail. Spelling Latinized around 1530 to add an l.

## AI Etymology
Assault comes from Middle English assaut, from Old French noun assaut, derived from the past participle of the verb assalir, from Late Latin assalīre, from Latin ad (“at, towards”) plus salīre (“jump”). Compare assail. Spelling Latinized around 1530 to add an l. The historical line also includes Proto-Indo-European *sel- and la-lat assalio. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- Crime & Justice

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