as in attackers
one who violently sets upon another
the darkness prevented me from getting a good look at my assailant
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Recent Examples of assailants
In March, when gunmen attacked a Moscow concert hall and killed more than 130 people, President Vladimir Putin said the assailants -- four men from Tajikistan, also in Central Asia -- were captured while fleeing to Ukraine.
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The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 19 Dec. 2024
The assailants, seeking to steal firearms, targeted the wrong residence, leading to devastating consequences.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
But an overwhelming majority of assailants in major mass shootings are male, with only a handful of female shooters having ever been identified, making Monday's gunfire an anomaly.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
But in 1921, a mob of white assailants attacked and burned the district, killing as many as 300 Black residents and leaving thousands more homeless.
—Caleb Gayle, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2024
Analysis of the more than 3,000 bones has suggested that unidentified assailants violently killed at least 37 men, women and children before butchering and cannibalizing their victims between 2210 and 2010 BC at a site called Charterhouse Warren, which is located in Somerset.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 16 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
Arab and Iranian media have shared footage from inside the embassy's premises, where assailants rummaged through furniture and documents inside the building and damaged some windows.
—Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 8 Dec. 2024
The assailants appeared to have arrived at the location in a Lexus ES.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 19 Dec. 2024
The assailants, seeking to steal firearms, targeted the wrong residence, leading to devastating consequences.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
But an overwhelming majority of assailants in major mass shootings are male, with only a handful of female shooters having ever been identified, making Monday's gunfire an anomaly.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
But in 1921, a mob of white assailants attacked and burned the district, killing as many as 300 Black residents and leaving thousands more homeless.
—Caleb Gayle, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2024
Analysis of the more than 3,000 bones has suggested that unidentified assailants violently killed at least 37 men, women and children before butchering and cannibalizing their victims between 2210 and 2010 BC at a site called Charterhouse Warren, which is located in Somerset.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 16 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
Arab and Iranian media have shared footage from inside the embassy's premises, where assailants rummaged through furniture and documents inside the building and damaged some windows.
—Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 8 Dec. 2024
The assailants appeared to have arrived at the location in a Lexus ES.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Assailants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assailants. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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