assailant
Americannoun
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of assailant
From the Middle French word assaillant, dating back to 1525–35. See assail, -ant
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The organization, which monitors jihadist groups, identified the assailant, who was shot dead by police, as Ndiaga Diagne, a US citizen of Senegalese origin.
From Barron's • Mar. 1, 2026
The assailant, identified as Anthony Kazmierczak, had the sort of online posting history that you would expect and had told a neighbor that he might be arrested at an upcoming Omar event.
From Slate • Jan. 31, 2026
From behind, a bystander—the man Australian officials identified as Ahmed—bear-tackled the assailant, put him in a headlock and stripped his gun from him.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025
Less than two months on, and still bearing the scars from the attack on his face, he describes his recovery as "incredible" - and says he even hopes to encounter his assailant again.
From BBC • Nov. 11, 2025
Joe was made to say in court what the victim remembered her assailant saying to her, but she testified that Joe's voice “could very easily be” that of the perpetrator.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
