ASSAULTS Synonyms: 124 Similar and Opposite Words

assaults 1 of 2

noun

plural of assault

as in violations

the act of forcing a person to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse attended a class teaching women self-defense against assault

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Relevance

as in attacks

the act or action of setting upon with force or violence was arrested for his assault of the bystander

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assaults

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of assault

as in rapes

to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse with a person unwilling or unable to give consent was registered as a sex offender after assaulting the victim

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as in raids

to take sudden, violent action against was found guilty of assaulting an officer enemy forces assaulted the city

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of assaults

Noun

His defense attorney previously said the assaults were not politically motivated and that DeFoor suffers from mental health issues. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026 The strikes marked the sixth straight day of heavy Russian attacks on Kyiv that began last week and are an unprecedented stretch of consecutive aerial assaults since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor more than 4½ years ago. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 The consecutive aerial assaults are designed to grind down civilians by disrupting daily life, Ukrainian officials have said. — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 Winter was the section chief for national security, overseeing cases involving assaults on federal officers. — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 That said, if true, such a ship would prove very useful for amphibious assaults, especially for a potential conflict with Taiwan. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026 The attack in the Bucha district came amid near constant aerial assaults from Russia. — Svitlana Vlasova, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026 She is wounded, in this new book, by the carnage in Gaza, as well as by assaults on the rights of immigrants, the LGBTQ community, women, the poor—in effect, anyone who isn’t straight, healthy, and white. — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026 Since then, the assaults have been so frequent that even the mayor has lost counts. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2026

Verb

Anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. — Christina Fan, CBS News, 7 June 2026 Any passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates or interferes with airline crew members can lead to penalties of up to $43,658 per violation, according to the FAA. — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 3 May 2026 The Pios’ culture assaults the senses the moment players step onto campus. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 13 Apr. 2026 The White House told ProPublica that anyone who assaults federal immigration agents would be prosecuted. — Nicole Foy, ProPublica, 18 Oct. 2025 The Kid also physically assaults Apollonia at one point. — Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 17 Oct. 2025 Continue reading … SKY SCUFFLE – Passenger allegedly assaults Alaska Airlines crew members, forces emergency landing at Boise Airport. — FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for assaults

Noun

After the story was published, YouTube removed several channels for content violations.

— Max Tani, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Other alleged violations — which total 23 in all — range from not having any smoke or carbon monoxide detectors throughout the property to failing to maintain the building in a structurally safe and stable condition.

— Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of violations

Noun

Russia pounded Kyiv for more than 12 hours in a sixth straight night of attacks, killing at least 12 people including six railway workers and an Indian citizen, and devastating civilian districts.

— Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Despite the recent attacks, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told reporters in Caracas, Venezuela that 17 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, the largest amount since the conflict began.

— Gordon Lubold, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of attacks

Verb

In that film’s story, Insiang (Hilda Koronel) metes out revenge against Dado (Ruel Vernal), her hateful mother’s lover, who rapes her after rejecting his advances.

— Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 10 July 2026
Through these photos, Dominique Pelicot is not ‘just’ casting an incestuous gaze on me, as was said during the investigation and the Mazan rapes trial.

— TIME, Time, 7 Apr. 2026

Definition of rapes

Verb

In the character's final scene, as the DEA raids her rural compound, Laurie ties a rope around her neck and jumps from the roof of her home.

— Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026
In the meantime, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) finally raids Laurie's property, thanks to the intel Rue had been giving them.

— Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 1 June 2026

Definition of raids

Noun

However, Iran analysts are highly skeptical that Tehran will prove capable of launching any such large-scale ground offensives any time soon.

— Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Israel’s ongoing offensives have become a wedge issue for Jewish and non-Jewish Americans, leading to protests and raising antisemitism fears and questions about America’s close ties to Israel.

— David Crary, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Definition of offensives

Verb

In the lawsuit Friday over Golden State Wind, California argues the deal violates the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which gives California input into offshore leasing decisions.

— Blanca Begert, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
This violates right-to-delete laws, and worse, hackers can reverse-engineer those leftover AI files to steal sensitive health data.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of violates

Verb

But Danny and Ricky aren’t falling for Russ’ carefree act, and Ricky, unable to take any more of his lies, storms out.

— Tanya Fedak, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
Mars storms the Official Streaming chart with five titles, while one of his most successful collaborations becomes a bestseller again on multiple rosters.

— Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Definition of storms

Noun

In fact, reported evidence suggests this software commitment (from a company making its revenue from hardware) has been crucial to Nvidia’s success in fending off onslaughts from other hardware vendors such as Intel.

— Nisha Talagala, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Ukraine has been largely helpless in similar Russian onslaughts in recent weeks.

— Tom Bowman, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026