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- Assailant - meaning & definition
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Translate files Assailant
/əˈseɪlənt/
Meaning & Definition
noun
A person who attacks another physically or verbally.
The police are searching for the assailant who fled the scene after the robbery.
An individual who initiates an assault.
Witnesses described the assailant as wearing a dark hoodie and jeans.
A person who criticizes or challenges someone or something aggressively.
The politician faced a barrage of questions from his assailants during the press conference.
Etymology
From Middle English assailant, from Old French assailant, present participle of assaille, from Latin assailare.
Common Phrases and Expressions
armed assailant
A person who attacks others while carrying a weapon.
masked assailant
An attacker who obscures their identity with a mask.
flee from the assailant
To escape from someone who is attacking.
Related Words
attack
The act of striking or hitting someone.
assault
A violent physical or verbal attack.
perpetrator
A person who commits a crime.
Slang Meanings
hitman
They hired an assailant, or hitman, to settle their scores.
thug
He was known as a local thug, often seen as an assailant during street fights.