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Onslaught vs Assault - What's the difference?

onslaught | assault |

As nouns the difference between onslaught and assault

is that onslaught is a fierce attack while assault is a violent onset or attack with physical means, as blows, weapons, etc.; an onslaught; the rush or charge of an attacking force; onset; as, to make assault upon a man, a house, or a town.

As a verb assault is

to attack, threaten or harass.

onslaught

English

Noun

(wikipedia onslaught) (en noun)
  • A fierce attack.
  • A large quantity of people or things resembling an attack.
    • They opened the doors and prepared for the onslaught of holiday shoppers.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2010 , date=December 28 , author=Kevin Darling , title=West Brom 1 - 3 Blackburn , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=The inevitable Baggies onslaught followed as substitute Simon Cox saw his strike excellently parried by keeper Bunn, with Cox heading the rebound down into the ground and agonisingly over the bar. }}

    See also

    * slew

    assault

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A violent onset or attack with physical means, as blows, weapons, etc.; an onslaught; the rush or charge of an attacking force; onset; as, to make assault upon a man, a house, or a town.
  • * Prescott
    • The Spanish general prepared to renew the assault .
  • * Shakespeare
    • Unshaken bears the assault / Of their most dreaded foe, the strong southwest.
  • A violent onset or attack with moral weapons, as words, arguments, appeals, and the like; as, to make an assault on the prerogatives of a prince, or on the constitution of a government.
  • (criminal, legal) An attempt to commit battery: a violent attempt, or willful effort with force or violence, to do hurt to another, but without necessarily touching his person, as by lifting a fist in a threatening manner, or by striking at him and missing him.
  • (singulare tantum, legal) The crime whose action is such an attempt.
  • An act that causes someone to apprehend imminent bodily harm.
  • (singulare tantum, legal) The tort whose action is such an act.
  • (fencing) A non-competitive combat between two fencers.

    • Synonyms

    *

    Derived terms

    * antiassault * assault and battery * nonassault * reassault

    Coordinate terms

    * battery

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To attack, threaten or harass.