assail
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Related to assailed: unassailed, subsumes
as·sail
(ə-sāl′)tr.v. as·sailed, as·sail·ing, as·sails
1. To attack violently, as with blows or military force; assault.
2. To attack verbally, as with ridicule or censure. See Synonyms at attack.
3. To trouble or beset, as with questions or doubts.
[Middle English assailen, from Old French asalir, asaill-, from Vulgar Latin *assalīre, variant of Latin assilīre, to jump on : ad-, onto; see ad- + salīre, to jump; see sel- in Indo-European roots.]
as·sail′a·ble adj.
as·sail′a·bil′i·ty n.
as·sail′er n.
as·sail′ment n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
assail
(əˈseɪl)vb (tr)
1. to attack violently; assault
2. to criticize or ridicule vehemently, as in argument
3. to beset or disturb: his mind was assailed by doubts.
4. to encounter with the intention of mastering: to assail a problem; to assail a difficult mountain ridge.
[C13: from Old French asalir, from Vulgar Latin assalīre (unattested) to leap upon, from Latin assilīre, from salīre to leap]
asˈsailable adj
asˈsailer n
asˈsailment n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
as•sail
(əˈseɪl)v.t.
1. to attack vigorously or violently; assault.
2. to attack verbally, as with arguments, criticism, or abuse.
3. to make an impact on; beset: The harsh light assailed their eyes.
[1175–1225; Middle English asaylen < Old French asaill-, tonic s. of asalir < Vulgar Latin *assalīre, for Latin assilīre; see assault]
as•sail′a•ble, adj.
as•sail′a•ble•ness, n.
as•sail′er, n.
as•sail′ment, n.
syn: See attack.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
assail
Past participle: assailed
Gerund: assailing
| Imperative |
|---|
| assail |
| assail |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Verb | 1. |  assail - attack someone physically or emotionally; "The mugger assaulted the woman"; "Nightmares assailed him regularly"bait - attack with dogs or set dogs upon sic, set - urge to attack someone; "The owner sicked his dogs on the intruders"; "the shaman sics sorcerers on the evil spirits" bulldog - attack viciously and ferociously rush - attack suddenly blindside - attack or hit on or from the side where the attacked person's view is obstructed savage - attack brutally and fiercely reassail - assail again; "Her old fears reassailed her" jump - make a sudden physical attack on; "The muggers jumped the woman in the fur coat" ravish, assault, dishonor, dishonour, outrage, violate - force (someone) to have sex against their will; "The woman was raped on her way home at night" desecrate, outrage, profane, violate - violate the sacred character of a place or language; "desecrate a cemetery"; "violate the sanctity of the church"; "profane the name of God" molest - harass or assault sexually; make indecent advances to |
| 2. |  assail - launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with; "Hitler attacked Poland on September 1, 1939 and started World War II"; "Serbian forces assailed Bosnian towns all week"fight, struggle, contend - be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight; "the tribesmen fought each other"; "Siblings are always fighting"; "Militant groups are contending for control of the country" aggress, attack - take the initiative and go on the offensive; "The Serbs attacked the village at night"; "The visiting team started to attack" submarine - attack by submarine; "The Germans submarined the Allies" strike, hit - make a strategic, offensive, assault against an enemy, opponent, or a target; "The Germans struck Poland on Sept. 1, 1939"; "We must strike the enemy's oil fields"; "in the fifth inning, the Giants struck, sending three runners home to win the game 5 to 2" counterattack, counterstrike - make a counterattack gas - attack with gas; subject to gas fumes; "The despot gassed the rebellious tribes" blitz - attack suddenly and without warning; "Hitler blitzed Poland" invade, occupy - march aggressively into another's territory by military force for the purposes of conquest and occupation; "Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939" besiege, circumvent, hem in, beleaguer, surround - surround so as to force to give up; "The Turks besieged Vienna" strafe - attack with machine guns or cannon fire from a low-flying plane; "civilians were strafed in an effort to force the country's surrender" cannonade - attack with cannons or artillery torpedo - attack or hit with torpedoes | |
| 3. |  assail - attack in speech or writing; "The editors of the left-leaning paper attacked the new House Speaker"criticise, criticize, pick apart, knock - find fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws; "The paper criticized the new movie"; "Don't knock the food--it's free" blackguard, clapperclaw, abuse, shout - use foul or abusive language towards; "The actress abused the policeman who gave her a parking ticket"; "The angry mother shouted at the teacher" claw - attack as if with claws; "The politician clawed his rival" vitriol - subject to bitter verbal abuse rip - criticize or abuse strongly and violently; "The candidate ripped into his opponent mercilessly" whang - attack forcefully; "whang away at the school reform plan" barrage, bombard - address with continuously or persistently, as if with a barrage; "The speaker was barraged by an angry audience"; "The governor was bombarded with requests to grant a pardon to the convicted killer" scald, blister, whip - subject to harsh criticism; "The Senator blistered the administration in his speech on Friday"; "the professor scaled the students"; "your invectives scorched the community" rubbish - attack strongly |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
assail
verb
1. criticize, abuse, blast, flame (informal), put down, malign, berate, revile, vilify, tear into (informal), diss (slang, chiefly U.S.), impugn, go for the jugular, lambast(e) These newspapers assail the government each day.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
assail
verb1. To hit heavily and repeatedly with violent blows:
Informal: lambaste.
Slang: clobber.
Idiom: rain blows on.
2. To attack with harsh, often insulting language:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يُهاجِم بِعُنْف، يُزْعِج بِالأسْئِلَه
napadnoutútočit na
angribeoverfaldeplage
ráîast á; kvelja, hrjá
pultiužpultiužpuolėjasužversti
uzbrukt
şiddetle saldırmak
assail
[əˈseɪl] VT (frm)Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
assail
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
assail
(əˈseil) verb to attack, torment. He was assailed with questions; assailed by doubts.
asˈsailant noun a person who attacks. His assailant came up behind him in the dark.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.