assailing

verb

present participle of assail
1
as in attacking
to criticize harshly and usually publicly the union organizers assailed the chemical company for failing to provide a safe working environment

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2
as in assaulting
to take sudden, violent action against the small birds assailed the larger one that had threatened their nest

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of assailing The German leader countered that the far-right party won't win a majority in the country, assailing its stance toward Ukraine and rhetoric on migration. — ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026 The German leader countered that the far-right party won’t win a majority in the country, assailing its stance toward Ukraine and rhetoric on migration. — Geir Moulson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026 The race partly revolved around the war in Gaza, with Lander assailing Goldman for not being critical enough of Israel. — Jesse Bedayn, Fortune, 24 June 2026 Rabb was propelled by a constellation of progressive groups, charting a path to victory partly by assailing his own party as listening more to donors than voters. — CBS News, 24 May 2026 Trump has singled out Moore for criticism, blaming him for a Potomac sewage spill, assailing his handing of Baltimore's bridge collapse and invoking a controversy over his military record. — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 18 Feb. 2026 In 1495 Columbus retaliated by assailing Taíno villages and capturing chiefs. — Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for assailing
  1. attacking
  2. assaulting
  3. slamming
  4. raiding
  5. storming
Verb
  • Selma Blair was arrested Sunday after allegedly attacking crew members on board a Delta flight into New York City.
    — Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Arriving crews reported heavy fire on the third floor and began interior operations, attacking the fire with multiple handlines, Hopkins said.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of attacking
Verb
  • Demolishing universities, assaulting the press, violently resegregating the public sphere, ramming degenerative AI down our throats, incarcerating mere zine makers, the regime is systematically repealing the right to culture.
    — Anna Kornbluh, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Soon after the photo was taken, pro-Chinese Communist Party activists there began assaulting protesters of Xi's authoritarian regime — though there is no evidence Zhang was involved in any attacks.
    — Adam Yamaguchi, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of assaulting
Verb
  • One camp of the ultra-rich cohort is actively exiting the country and slamming the tax policies as bad for business, while a whole other group is publicly demanding that they be taxed more.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Prosecutors say that the driver involved in that crash allegedly ran a red light while driving under the influence, slamming into a Metro bus, killing two passengers.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of slamming
Verb
  • Preventing undesirable baboon behaviour, like raiding food, is easier than trying to tackle it once it’s become engrained.
    — Will Barker, TheWeek, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Turkish authorities launched an unprecedented crackdown on the country’s LGBT community on Sunday, raiding gay bars and shutting down activist organizations, in what the government said are efforts to protect Turkey’s family values.
    — Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of raiding
Verb
  • Since storming out of that horse in July, Christopher Nolan’s film has become the assumed Best Picture front-runner on the basis of its epic scale, strong reviews, and record-breaking grosses.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Digital filmmakers storming the Hollywood box office has been one of the biggest entertainment stories of the year.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of storming

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Cite this Entry

“Assailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/assailing. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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