as|sas|si|nate /əsæ s I ne I t/ (assassinates , assassinating , assassinated ) VERB When someone important is assassinated , they are murdered as a political act. □ [be V -ed] Would the U.S.A. be radically different today if Kennedy had not been assassinated? □ [V n] The plot to assassinate Martin Luther King had started long before he was actually killed. ● as|sas|si|na|tion /əsæ s I ne I ʃ ə n/ (assassinations ) N‑VAR [N n] □ [+ of ] She would like an investigation into the assassination of her husband. □ He lives in constant fear of assassination.
as|sault ◆◇◇ /əsɔː lt/ (assaults , assaulting , assaulted )
1 N‑COUNT An assault by an army is a strong attack made on an area held by the enemy. □ [+ on/upon/against ] The rebels are poised for a new assault on the government garrisons.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Assault weapons such as rifles are intended for soldiers to use in battle rather than for purposes such as hunting.
3 N‑VAR An assault on a person is a physical attack on them. □ [+ on/upon ] The attack is one of a series of savage sexual assaults on women in the university area. □ At the police station, I was charged with assault.
4 VERB To assault someone means to physically attack them. □ [V n] The gang assaulted him with iron bars. □ [be V -ed] She may have been sexually assaulted by her killer.
5 N‑COUNT An assault on someone's beliefs is a strong criticism of them. □ [+ on/upon/against ] He leveled a verbal assault against his Democratic opponents. COLLOCATIONS assault NOUN
1
noun + assault : air, ground
adjective + assault : aerial, frontal; full-scale, sustained
verb + assault : launch, mount, plan
3
adjective + assault : domestic, physical, sexual; indecent, serious, vicious, violent; alleged, common, unlawful
verb + assault : commit; investigate, report; admit, deny
5
adjective + assault : full-on, verbal, withering
verb + assault : launch
as|sau lt and ba t|tery N‑UNCOUNT Assault and battery is the crime of attacking someone and causing them physical harm. [LEGAL ]
as|sau lt course (assault courses ) N‑COUNT An assault course is an area of land covered with obstacles such as walls which people, especially soldiers, use to improve their skills and strength. [BRIT ] in AM, use obstacle course
as|say /æse I / (assays ) N‑COUNT An assay is a test of a substance to find out what chemicals it contains. It is usually carried out to find out how pure a substance is. [TECHNICAL ]
as|sem|blage /əse mbl I dʒ/ (assemblages ) N‑COUNT An assemblage of people or things is a collection of them. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] He had an assemblage of old junk cars filling the backyard.
as|sem|ble /əse mb ə l/ (assembles , assembling , assembled )
1 VERB When people assemble or when someone assembles them, they come together in a group, usually for a particular purpose such as a meeting. □ [V ] There wasn't even a convenient place for students to assemble between classes. □ [V + in/at ] Thousands of people, mainly Zulus, assembled in a stadium in Thokoza. □ [V n] He has assembled a team of experts to handle queries.
2 VERB To assemble something means to collect it together or to fit the different parts of it together. □ [V n] Greenpeace managed to assemble enough boats to waylay the ship at sea.
as|sem|bler /əse mblə r / (assemblers ) N‑COUNT An assembler is a person, a machine, or a company which assembles the individual parts of a vehicle or a piece of equipment such as a computer.
as|sem|bly ◆◇◇ /əse mbli/ (assemblies )
1 N‑COUNT [usu sing] An assembly is a large group of people who meet regularly to make decisions or laws for a particular region or country. □ …the campaign for the first free election to the National Assembly. □ …an assembly of party members from the Russian republic.
2 N‑COUNT An assembly is a group of people gathered together for a particular purpose. □ He waited until complete quiet settled on the assembly.
3 N‑UNCOUNT When you refer to rights of assembly or restrictions on assembly , you are referring to the legal right that people have to gather together. [FORMAL ]
4 N‑VAR In a school, assembly is a gathering of all the teachers and pupils at the beginning of every school day. □ By 9, the juniors are in the hall for assembly. □ …a long room with a stage at one end for assemblies.
5 N‑UNCOUNT The assembly of a machine, device, or object is the process of fitting its different parts together. □ For the rest of the day, he worked on the assembly of an explosive device. SYNONYMS assembly NOUN 2
gathering: …the twenty-second annual gathering of the South Pacific Forum.
conference: The president summoned the state governors to a conference on education.
rally: Supporters of the policy are gathering in Delhi for a rally.
convention: …the annual convention of the Society of Professional Journalists.
crowd: A huge crowd gathered in a square outside the Kremlin walls.