assault / overreach
Loading your saved state.
assault
A hostile, often sudden and unlawful action in which another person's personal boundaries are violated. This can be a physical assault, a verbal attack, or sexual harassment.
Jeder verbale Übergriff wird bei uns sofort gemeldet.
Every verbal assault is reported immediately here.
overreach
Interference in the rights, authority, or domain of another person or institution.
Die Maßnahme wurde als Übergriff auf die Privatsphäre der Bürger kritisiert.
The measure was criticized as an overreach into citizens' privacy.
The word consists of 'über' (over) and 'Griff' (grip, from 'greifen' — to grab). Literally, it describes a 'reaching over' a boundary. This image helps you understand the meaning of violating personal or legal boundaries.
Jeder Übergriff auf unsere Mitarbeiter wird zur Anzeige gebracht.
Any assault on our employees will be reported to the authorities.
'Übergriff' (assault/overreach) is a formal word used mainly in legal, police, and media language, as well as in official reports.
Die Polizei untersucht den gemeldeten Übergriff vom Wochenende.
The police are investigating the reported assault from the weekend.
Adjectives are often used to specify the type of 'Übergriff' (assault). Common combinations are 'sexueller Übergriff' (sexual assault), 'körperlicher Übergriff' (physical assault), and 'verbaler Übergriff' (verbal assault).
Das Opfer meldete einen körperlichen Übergriff bei der Polizei.
The victim reported a physical assault to the police.
When referring to the violation of rights or domains, the preposition 'auf' with the accusative is often used. A typical phrase is 'ein Übergriff auf die Privatsphäre' (an overreach into privacy).
Datenschützer sehen darin einen Übergriff auf die Rechte der Verbraucher.
Data protection advocates see this as an overreach into consumers' rights.
attack
Angriff directly refers to a hostile, often violent action against someone. Übergriff, by contrast, emphasizes that someone violates another person's personal boundaries. A physical attack can also be an Übergriff, but Übergriff also applies to other violations of personal boundaries.
Die unerwünschte Berührung der Passantin war ein klarer Übergriff.
The unwanted touching of the passerby was clearly an assault.
Die Passantin wehrte den gewaltsamen Angriff des Mannes ab.
The passerby fought off the man's violent attack.
