assailant

noun

as·​sail·​ant ə-ˈsā-lənt How to pronounce assailant (audio)
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
Detectives speculated that she may have been punched on the chin, perhaps knocked unconscious by her assailant.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
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.
According to Clark, the man was also punched and kicked multiple times by the three assailants. Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 24 Feb. 2025 His wrists and ankles were tied, and a short rope was looped around his neck, suggesting that the assailant had tortured the victim by choking him. Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2025 The assailant was tackled by bystanders and pinned to the stage. Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 21 Feb. 2025 To counter, Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt played a slow-motion video of the attack, showing the assailant dash toward Rushdie, The Associated Press reported. Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 21 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for assailant

Word History

First Known Use

1523, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of assailant was in 1523

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Cite this Entry

“Assailant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assailant. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.

Legal Definition

assailant

noun
as·​sail·​ant ə-ˈsā-lənt How to pronounce assailant (audio)
: a person who commits criminal assault

More from Merriam-Webster on assailant

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