MEANING
1. To attack someone or something forcefully, physically or through criticism.
2. To trouble or overwhelm someone with forceful thoughts, feelings, or sensations.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- assail a position
- assail an opponent
On the page
Critics assailed the proposal before the details were released.
The defenders were assailed from both ends of the narrow causeway.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- assail
- Past tense
- assailed
- Past participle
- assailed
- Present participle
- assailing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- assail
- Present continuous
- am/is/are assailing
- Present perfect
- have/has assailed
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been assailing
- Past
- assailed
- Past continuous
- was/were assailing
- Past perfect
- had assailed
- Past perfect continuous
- had been assailing
- Future
- will assail
- Future continuous
- will be assailing
- Future perfect
- will have assailed
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been assailing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: assail; assails; assailed; assailed; assailing Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: assails.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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