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assail - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'assail' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Assail [ 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.
- To encounter or meet purposely with the view of mastering, as an obstacle, difficulty, or the like.
- 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.

Meaning of 'assail' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . assail [ v]
Meaning (1):
- launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with
Example in sentence:
  • Hitler attacked Poland on September 1, 1939 and started World War II;
  • Serbian forces assailed Bosnian towns all week
Meaning (2):
- attack someone physically or emotionally
Example in sentence:
  • Nightmares assailed him regularly;
  • The mugger assaulted the woman
Meaning (3):
- attack in speech or writing
Example in sentence:
  • The editors of the left-leaning paper attacked the new House Speaker

Nearby Words:

ass assaf/tida assagai assai assailable assailant assailed assailer assailing assailment

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