- (v.t.) To encounter or meet purposely with the view of mastering, as an obstacle, difficulty or the like.
- (v.t.) To attack with violence or in a vehement and hostile manner; to assault; to molest; as, to assail a man with blows; to assail a city with artillery.
- (v.t.) To attack morally or with a view to produce changes in the feelings, character, conduct, existing usages, institutions; to attack by words, hostile influence, etc.; as, to assail one with appeals, arguments, abuse, ridicule, and the like.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). assail. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/assail/definitions/1976372 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "assail" http://smartdefine.org/assail/definitions/1976372 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, assail, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/assail/definitions/1976372>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "assail" 27 May 2011. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/assail/definitions/1976372> |