Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To attack violently, as with blows or military force; assault.
- transitive verb To attack verbally, as with ridicule or censure. synonym: attack.
- transitive verb To trouble or beset, as with questions or doubts.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To fall upon with violence; assault; attack.
- To attack with reasoning, arguments, censure, abuse, criticism, appeals, entreaties, or anything that bears upon the mind or feelings: as, to
assail an obnoxious person with jeers. - To fall upon; bring something to bear upon or against; come in contact with: as, the ship was assailed by a severe storm.
- Synonyms Attack, Set upon, Fall upon, Assail, Assault. Attack, literally to fasten to, is the most general of these words. Set upon and fall upon have the vigor of short and familiar words, and they express a sudden, energetic attack. Assail and assault, literally to leap or spring at, are to attack vehemently and perhaps suddenly. Assault is the stronger of the two, and is especially used of attacks with personal violence, as with fists, stones, etc. All five of these words may be extended to warfare, and to contests and struggles of any kind.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To attack with violence, or in a vehement and hostile manner; to assault; to molest
- transitive verb To encounter or meet purposely with the view of mastering, as an obstacle, difficulty, or the like.
- transitive verb 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..
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To
attack violently.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb attack someone physically or emotionally
- verb attack in speech or writing
- verb launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[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.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Old French verb asaillir, from Latin assiliō, from ad ("towards") + saliō ("to jump"). See also assault.
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Examples
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Kristianto2010 commented on the word assail
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught 3 because of what my enemy is saying,
because of the threats of the wicked; for they bring down suffering on me and assail me in their anger. Psalm 55:2~3.
February 4, 2011