assail

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

as·sail [assail assails assailed assailing] BrE [əˈseɪl] NAmE [əˈseɪl] verb (formal)
1. ~ sb/sth to attack sb/sth violently, either physically or with words
•He was assailed with fierce blows to the head.
•The proposal was assailed by the opposition party.
• (figurative)A vile smell assailed my nostrils.
2. usually passive ~ sb to disturb or upset sb severely
•to be assailed by worries/doubts/fears
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
Middle English: from Old French asaill-, stressed stem of asalir, from medieval Latin assalire, from Latin assilire, from ad- ‘to’ + salire ‘to leap’; compare with ↑assault.

• Từ đồng nghĩa / Synonyms:
  attack, round, lash out, snipe, assault, set on