assail (verb)
1assail — ► VERB 1) attack violently. 2) (of an unpleasant feeling) come upon (someone) strongly. ORIGIN Latin assalire, from salire to leap …
2assail — verb To attack violently. For the next six months or so those children will assail her in public with demands for an improper story! (from H.H. Munros short story, The Storyteller ) …
3assail — I verb accost, adgredi, adoriri, advance against, advance upon, aggress, assault, assault belligerently, attack, beset, encounter, fall upon, invade, mug, oppugn, oppugnare, rush upon, savage, set upon, set upon with violence, storm, thrust at,… …
4assail — verb (T) 1 (usually passive) if a thought or feeling assails you, it worries or upsets you: Carla was suddenly assailed by doubts. 2 to attack someone or something violently: assail sb with sth: The angry crowd assailed police with stones and… …
5assail — verb 1) the army moved in to assail the enemy Syn: attack, assault, pounce on, set upon/about, fall on, charge, rush, storm; informal lay into, tear into, pitch into See note at attack 2) she was assailed by doub …
6assail — [[t]əse͟ɪl[/t]] assails, assailing, assailed 1) VERB If someone assails you, they criticize you strongly. [WRITTEN] [V n] The opposition s newspapers assail the government each day... [V n] The labour movement has been assailed by accusations of… …
7assail — UK [əˈseɪl] / US verb [transitive] Word forms assail : present tense I/you/we/they assail he/she/it assails present participle assailing past tense assailed past participle assailed 1) to make someone feel worried or upset He was assailed by… …
8assail — transitive verb Etymology: 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 Date: 13th century to attack violently with blows or words… …
9assail — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) v. t. attack, set upon, assault; criticize. See disapprobation. II (Roget s IV) v. Syn. attack, assault, beset, plague; see attack 2 . See Synonym Study at attack . III (Roget s 3 Superthesaurus) v.… …
10assail — as|sail [ ə seıl ] verb transitive 1. ) make someone feel worried or upset: He was assailed by doubts. 2. ) FORMAL to physically attack or severely criticize someone 3. ) MAINLY LITERARY if a noise, smell, or sight assails you, you notice it… …