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.
The standoff lasted 10 hours until the rabbi, drawing on extensive security training, hurled a chair at the assailant. Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 20 Mar. 2025 This appeared to be an assailant that knew her very well. Jonathan Vigliotti, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2025 No arrests have been made, and the police have posted security camera footage of an assailant in an effort to get tips about the case. Hank Sanders, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2025 What begins as yet another gunfight morphs into a horror-movie scenario: Reacher covers his face in mud like Arnold at the end of Predator and kills the last of his assailants by strangling him using a winch mounted on one of the ATVs. Chris Klimek, Vulture, 13 Mar. 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Assailant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assailant. Accessed 30 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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