assailant
noun
as·sail·ant
ə-ˈsā-lənt 
plural assailants
: a person who attacks someone violently
an assault by an unknown assailant
She could identify the assailant and his two accomplices, and she wanted to press charges.—
Jennifer Baumgardner
Jennifer BaumgardnerDetectives speculated that she may have been punched on the chin, perhaps knocked unconscious by her assailant.—Joseph Wambaugh
Joseph Wambaugh
Examples of assailant in a Sentence
the darkness prevented me from getting a good look at my assailant
Recent Examples on the Web
The assailant used zip ties to constrain her wrists before strangling her nearly unconscious twice.
—Michael Loftus, CBS News, 13 Dec. 2024
Lewin slipped the poison pill into her mouth, but the assailants choked her and removed the capsule.
—Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
The assailant then raped the victim before fleeing southbound on Virginia Ave., cops said, adding that afterward, Williams approached a nearby food truck vendor and asked for napkins.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 12 Dec. 2024
The assailant arrived in New York City on a bus from Atlanta Nov. 24, stayed at an AYH Hostel on the Upper West Side and likely fled the city via the Port Authority bus station.
—Christina Coulter, Fox News, 7 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for assailant 
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.
Michael Loftus, CBS News, 13 Dec. 2024
Lewin slipped the poison pill into her mouth, but the assailants choked her and removed the capsule.
—Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
The assailant then raped the victim before fleeing southbound on Virginia Ave., cops said, adding that afterward, Williams approached a nearby food truck vendor and asked for napkins.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 12 Dec. 2024
The assailant arrived in New York City on a bus from Atlanta Nov. 24, stayed at an AYH Hostel on the Upper West Side and likely fled the city via the Port Authority bus station.
—Christina Coulter, Fox News, 7 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for assailant
Dictionary Entries Near assailant
Cite this Entry
“Assailant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assailant. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
assailant
noun
as·sail·ant
ə-ˈsā-lənt
: a person who commits criminal assault
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share