{
    "term": "assault",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "the crime of attacking somebody physically",
            "sensetop": "assault on/upon somebody",
            "labels": "(British English)(North American English)(British English)(North American English)(especially British English)(especially British English)(especially North American English)(especially British English)",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Both men were charged with assault."
                },
                {
                    "text": "sexual assaults"
                },
                {
                    "text": "A significant number of **indecent assaults** on women go unreported.",
                    "contextForm": "assault on/upon somebody"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Better street lighting has helped reduce the number of assaults against women."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He reported the assault to the police."
                },
                {
                    "text": "allegations of police assault on the boy"
                },
                {
                    "text": "assaults committed by teenagers"
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Crime and punishment"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["brutal", "ferocious", "savage"],
                "… of assaults": ["series", "wave"],
                "verb + assault": ["carry out", "commit", "be the victim of"],
                "assault + verb": ["happen", "occur", "take place"],
                "preposition": ["assault against", "assault on", "assault upon"],
                "phrases": ["allegations of assault", "assault and battery"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "the act of attacking a building, an area, etc. in order to take control of it",
            "sensetop": "assault (on/upon/against somebody/something)",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "An assault on the capital was launched in the early hours of the morning."
                },
                {
                    "text": "air assaults by fighter planes"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a series of assaults on enemy targets"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The garrison was built to withstand assaults."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The factory came under assault from soldiers in the mountains."
                },
                {
                    "text": "After an all-out assault the village was captured by the enemy."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "attack",
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["all-out", "direct", "frontal"],
                "… of assaults": ["series"],
                "verb + assault": ["begin", "carry out", "conduct"],
                "assault + noun": ["course", "operation", "gun"],
                "preposition": ["under assault", "assault on"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "the act of trying to achieve something that is difficult or dangerous",
            "sensetop": "assault (on/upon something)",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The government has mounted a new assault on unemployment."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a two-year legal assault on alleged tax fraud"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Three people died during an assault on the mountain *(= while trying to climb it)*."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Difficulty and failure"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "an act of criticizing somebody/something severely",
            "sensetop": "assault on/upon/against somebody/something",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The suggested closures **came under assault** from all parties."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The paper's assault on the president was totally unjustified.",
                    "contextForm": "assault on/upon/against somebody/something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She used the article to make a sustained assault on her former political allies."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He launched into a verbal assault on tabloid journalism."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "attack",
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["all-out", "direct", "frontal"],
                "… of assaults": ["series"],
                "verb + assault": ["begin", "carry out", "conduct"],
                "assault + noun": ["course", "operation", "gun"],
                "preposition": ["under assault", "assault on"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 5,
            "definition": "an act that threatens to harm somebody physically, whether or not actual harm is done",
            "labels": "(law)",
            "examples": []
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/əˈsɔːlt/",
                "audio": "as/assault/assault__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/əˈsɔːlt/",
                "audio": "as/assault/assault__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English: from Old French asaut (noun), assauter (verb), based on Latin ad- ‘to’ + saltare, frequentative of salire ‘to leap’. Compare with assail."
}