- (n.) An apparently violent attempt or willful offer with force or violence, to do hurt to another; an attempt or offer to beat another, accompanied by a degree of violence, but without touching his person, as by lifting the fist or a cane, in a threatening manner or by striking at him, and missing him. If the blow aimed takes effect, it is a battery.
- (n.) A violent onset or attack with moral weapons, as words, arguments, appeals, and the like; as, to make an assault on the prerogatives of a prince or on the constitution of a government.
- (n.) To attack with moral means or with a view of producing moral effects; to attack by words, arguments or unfriendly measures; to assail; as, to assault a reputation or an administration.
- (n.) A violent onset or attack with physical means, as blows, weapons, etc.; an onslaught; the rush or charge of an attacking force; onset; as, to make assault upon a man, a house or a town.
- (n.) To make an assault upon, as by a sudden rush of armed men; to attack with unlawful or insulting physical violence or menaces.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). assault. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/assault/definitions/1976392 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "assault" http://smartdefine.org/assault/definitions/1976392 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, assault, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/assault/definitions/1976392>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "assault" 27 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/assault/definitions/1976392> |