assault
♦ as|sault /əs'ɔːlt/ (assaults assaulting assaulted)
1 [N-COUNT] oft N on/upon/against n
An assault by an army is a strong attack made on an area held by the enemy.
The rebels are poised for a new assault on the government garrisons...
= attack
2 [ADJ] ADJ n
Assault weapons such as rifles are intended for soldiers to use in battle rather than for purposes such as hunting.
3 [N-VAR] oft N on/upon n
An assault on a person is a physical attack on them.
The attack is one of a series of savage sexual assaults on women in the university area...
At the police station, I was charged with assault.
4 [VERB] V n, V n
To assault someone means to physically attack them.
The gang assaulted him with iron bars...
She may have been sexually assaulted by her killer.
= attack
5 [N-COUNT] oft N on/upon/against n
An assault on someone's beliefs is a strong criticism of them.
He leveled a verbal assault against his Democratic opponents.as|sault and bat|tery
[N-UNCOUNT]
Assault and battery is the crime of attacking someone and causing them physical harm. (LEGAL)as|sault course (assault courses)
[N-COUNT]
An assault course is an area of land covered with obstacles such as walls which people, especially soldiers, use to improve their skills and strength. (BRIT; in AM, use obstacle course)in|de|cent as|sault
[N-UNCOUNT]
Indecent assault is the crime of attacking someone in a way which involves touching or threatening them sexually, but not forcing them to have sexual intercourse.
1 [N-COUNT] oft N on/upon/against n
An assault by an army is a strong attack made on an area held by the enemy.
The rebels are poised for a new assault on the government garrisons...
= attack
2 [ADJ] ADJ n
Assault weapons such as rifles are intended for soldiers to use in battle rather than for purposes such as hunting.
3 [N-VAR] oft N on/upon n
An assault on a person is a physical attack on them.
The attack is one of a series of savage sexual assaults on women in the university area...
At the police station, I was charged with assault.
4 [VERB] V n, V n
To assault someone means to physically attack them.
The gang assaulted him with iron bars...
She may have been sexually assaulted by her killer.
= attack
5 [N-COUNT] oft N on/upon/against n
An assault on someone's beliefs is a strong criticism of them.
He leveled a verbal assault against his Democratic opponents.as|sault and bat|tery
[N-UNCOUNT]
Assault and battery is the crime of attacking someone and causing them physical harm. (LEGAL)as|sault course (assault courses)
[N-COUNT]
An assault course is an area of land covered with obstacles such as walls which people, especially soldiers, use to improve their skills and strength. (BRIT; in AM, use obstacle course)in|de|cent as|sault
[N-UNCOUNT]
Indecent assault is the crime of attacking someone in a way which involves touching or threatening them sexually, but not forcing them to have sexual intercourse.