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Assault vs Violence - What's the difference?

assault | violence |

As nouns the difference between assault and violence

is that 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 while violence is extreme force.

As a verb assault

is to attack, threaten or harass.

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.

    • violence

    English

    Noun

  • Extreme force.
  • Action which causes destruction, pain, or suffering.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-19, author= Mark Tran
    • , volume=189, issue=6, page=1, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= Denied an education by war , passage=One particularly damaging, but often ignored, effect of conflict on education is the proliferation of attacks on schools
  • Widespread fighting.
  • (figuratively) Injustice, wrong.
  • (obsolete) ravishment; rape; violation

    • Related terms

    * violent * violate * violation

    Hypernyms

    * (extreme force) force

    Antonyms

    * peace, nonviolence

    See also

    * domestic violence * reverse domestic violence ----