Definition of assail
transitive verb
: to attack violently Critics assailed his new book. a politician assailed by the media —often used figuratively She was assailed by doubts. A horrible odor assailed our noses. [=we smelled a horrible odor]
Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd
assail was our Word of the Day on 08/23/2007. Hear the podcast!
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
Recent Examples of assail from the Web
-
As a lawyer at the Alliance Defending Freedom, Mr. Bowman assailed the contraceptive coverage mandate on behalf of colleges, universities and nonprofit groups that had religious objections to the rule.
-
After brief remarks from Trump, the women took turns defending him and assailing the Clintons.
-
The more likely culprit is Dan Scavino, Trump’s social-media director, whom the Office of Special Counsel last month deemed to have violated the Hatch Act by assailing Republican Representative Justin Amash.
-
Gay rights groups and other liberal critics have assailed the law as one that permits discrimination of LGBTQ students.
-
Mayor Bill Peduto has publicly assailed Uber and former CEO Travis Kalanick for refusing to back the city's application for a federal cities innovation grant and for making a stingy contribution to a philanthropic initiative.
-
And the White House has responded by assailing the credibility of the nonpartisan budget office.
-
In the past, some bills assailed as undemocratic have foundered before reaching a parliamentary vote, or have been watered down because their constitutionality was questioned.
-
Each spoke in interviews as the Trump-Russia investigation reached closer to the president this week and as Mueller was assailed by Trump and his allies, who have sharply questioned his fairness.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'assail.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Assail comes from an Anglo-French verb, assaillir, which itself traces back to the Latin verb assilire ("to leap upon"). "Assilire" combines the prefix ad- ("to, toward") with the Latin verb salire, meaning "to leap." When "assail" was first used in the 13th century, it meant "to make a violent physical attack upon." By the 1500s, English speakers were using the term to mean "to attack with words or arguments."
Origin and Etymology of assail
Middle English, from Anglo-French assaillir, from Vulgar Latin *assalire, alteration of Latin assilire to leap upon, from ad- + salire to leap — more at sally
Synonym Discussion of assail
ASSAIL Defined for Kids
assail
playDefinition of assail for Students
assailed
;assailing
1 : to attack violently or angrily with blows or words His plan was assailed by critics.
2 : to be troubled or bothered by assailed by doubts A horrible odor assailed my nose.
Learn More about assail
-
See words that rhyme with assail Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for assail Spanish Central: Translation of assail Nglish: Translation of assail for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of assail for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up assail? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!