Battery (crime)

In many common law jurisdictions, the crime of battery consists of an injury or other contact upon the person of another in a manner likely to cause bodily harm.

Contact prohibited by laws against battery has lately been understood to include bodily secretions being directed at another person without their permission, and in such cases depending on the system is automatically considered aggravated battery.

Battery can be differentiated from assault thusly: If A advances upon B by chasing after him and swinging a fist at his head, that action is considered assault. If A should actually strike B, he will have committed battery.