What does assault mean?
Assault refers to a violent attack — most commonly a deliberate physical attack on a person, though it also covers verbal attacks and military offensives. As a verb, it means to carry out such an attack. The word carries strongly negative connotations of aggression, violence, and violation, and it appears frequently in legal, journalistic, and everyday contexts: news reports describe assaults on individuals, critics speak of verbal assaults, and historians write of assaults on fortified positions. In legal usage there is an important regional difference: American law distinguishes assault (the threat or attempt of violence) from battery (actual physical contact), whereas British usage generally treats assault as involving real or attempted violence. Derived forms include assaulter and the adjective assaultive. Because it names one of society's most serious wrongs, the word is precise and consequential rather than casual, and choosing it signals gravity.
A violent physical attack, a sustained verbal attack, or a concentrated military offensive against a position.
"The report documented a serious assault in the city center."
In legal contexts, the precise definition varies by jurisdiction — see regional notes.
To make a violent physical or verbal attack on someone or something.
"He was accused of assaulting a police officer during the protest."
Standard plural; commonly used when referring to multiple incidents, e.g. in statistics or reports.
"Police recorded a sharp rise in assaults over the summer months."
The word 'assault' literally means 'to jump on' — it comes from the Latin 'assultus', a leaping at someone, which is why its cousin 'insult' (to leap scornfully over) sounds so similar.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of assault
Assault comes from Old French 'assaut', derived from the Vulgar Latin 'assultus', from Latin 'adsultus' meaning 'a leap at' or 'attack', formed from 'ad-' (toward) plus 'salire' (to leap). It entered English around the Middle Ages, initially in military contexts before broadening to personal and verbal violence. It shares this root with 'assail', 'insult', and 'salient', all descendants of the same Latin verb salire.
Related word forms
How assault is actually used
Register is neutral but the word is common in formal, legal, and journalistic contexts. In US law, 'assault' can mean merely the threat of violence while 'battery' involves actual contact; in British law, 'assault' typically implies actual or attempted violence. 'Sexual assault' is a fixed, widely used term. As a verb it is transitive.
Easily confused with assault
Asphalt is a black material used for paving roads; assault is an attack, despite their similar opening sounds.