attack

1 of 3

verb

at·​tack ə-ˈtak 

attacked; attacking; attacks

transitive verb

1

: to set upon or work against forcefully

attack an enemy fortification

2

: to assail with unfriendly or bitter words

a politician verbally attacked by critics

3

: to begin to affect or to act on injuriously

plants attacked by aphids

4

a

: to set to work on

attack a problem

b

: to begin to eat (food) eagerly

At the table he attacked his meal with such singleminded ferocity as to be, as Boswell put it, disgusting to those whose sensations were delicate.

—Donald R. DeGlopper

5

chess : to threaten (a piece) with immediate capture

intransitive verb

: to make an attack

They were unprepared when the enemy attacked.

attacker noun

plural attackers

attack

2 of 3

noun

plural attacks

1

: the act of attacking with physical force or unfriendly words : assault

the victim of a knife attack

a verbal attack

2

: a belligerent or antagonistic action

launched an attack against his political opponents

3

a

: a fit of sickness

especially : an active episode of a chronic or recurrent disease

an attack of bronchitis

b

: a period of being strongly affected by something (such as a desire or mood)

an attack of the jitters

c

: an aggressive attempt to take or extend a lead over others in a race (such as a bicycle race)

… he crushed his rivals in the first mountain stages by going on relatively long solo attacks.

—Samuel Abt

4

a

: an offensive or scoring action

won the game with an 8-hit attack

b

: offensive players or the positions taken up by them

5

: the setting to work on some undertaking

made a new attack on the problem

a new plan of attack

6

: the beginning of destructive action (as by a chemical agent)

7

music : the act or manner of beginning a musical tone or phrase

attack

3 of 3

adjective

1

: designed, planned, or used for carrying out a military attack

an attack helicopter

2

: expressing or involving aggressively negative and harsh criticism of someone (such as a political opponent)

attack ads

Early in my magazine career, I at times participated in a form of attack journalism that today fills me with remorse—picking a target and sending out a reporter to bring back the scalp.

—Daniel Okrent

Phrases

on the attack

: making an attack

The soldiers were on the attack.

—often used in the phrase go on the attack with the meaning "to begin attacking"

Last week he challenged Bradley to debate him and went on the attack, accusing his challenger of "disloyalty" to the party …

—Matt Bai

under attack

: in the process of being attacked

soldiers under attack

a politician who is under attack from his opponents

—often used in the phrase come under attack with the meaning "to begin being attacked"

a theory that has recent come under attack

Synonyms

Verb

• assail
• assault
• beset
• bushwhack
• charge
• descend (on or upon)
• go in (on)
• jump (on)
• pounce (on or upon)
• raid
• rush
• set on
• sic
• sick
• storm
• strike
• trash
• turn (on)

Noun

• aggression
• assault
• attempt
• blitz
• blitzkrieg
• charge
• coup de main
• descent
• offense
• offence
• offensive
• onset
• onslaught
• raid
• rush
• strike

Choose the Right Synonym for attack

attack, assail, assault, bombard, storm mean to make an onslaught upon.

attack implies taking the initiative in a struggle.

plan to attack the town at dawn

assail implies attempting to break down resistance by repeated blows or shots.

assailed the enemy with artillery fire

assault suggests a direct attempt to overpower by suddenness and violence of onslaught.

commandos assaulted the building from all sides

bombard applies to attacking with bombs or shells.

bombarded the city nightly

storm implies attempting to break into a defended position.

preparing to storm the fortress

Examples of attack in a Sentence

Verb

He attacked the guard with a knife.

Troops attacked the fortress at dawn.

The troops attacked at dawn.

People are attacking the mayor for breaking campaign promises.

The professor has been widely attacked for her position on the issue.

Did you see the way the kids attacked that pizza?

Noun

The immune system is the body's defense against attack by germs.

The spray protects plants from attacks by many common pests.

The surprise attack came at dawn.

There is a threat of nuclear attack.

There have been many attacks against the professor for her position on the issue.

The newspaper editorial is an attack on policy-makers.

Adjective

The bombers were in attack formation.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Across the country, neighbors brutally attacked their neighbors with machetes, sticks and clubs. —Courtney Dorning, NPR, 11 Apr. 2024

The strikes also attacked two underground storage facilities where Ukraine stores natural gas, including some owned by foreign companies, energy company Naftogaz said. —Reuters, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024

In June 1941, Muslim mobs attacked Jewish areas of Baghdad, killing scores of people and burning homes and shops. —Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024

Israel has launched some strikes in Lebanon in recent months and Hezbollah has attacked parts of northern Israel. —Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 10 Apr. 2024

Knight was in the car with Shakur when they were attacked in Las Vegas. —Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 9 Apr. 2024

Israeli warplanes on April 1 attacked a meeting of leaders from Iran’s armed forces and members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Damascus, the Iranian officials said. —Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024

Woman, 35, Becomes Partially Paralyzed After Getting Botox Injections for Her Migraines: 'Horrifying and Scary' (Exclusive) Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by a toxin that attacks the body’s nerves, per the Centers for Disease Control. —Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied that Russia intends to attack NATO countries. —Christian Edwards, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024

Noun

Two days before the Cuautla attack, the candidate for mayor in Acatzingo, in a neighboring state, was shot and killed in the lot of his car dealership. —David Shortell, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024

The Hamas attack and Israeli response refocused and ramped-up Trump’s ire on institutions of higher education. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024

Ukraine has also harried Moscow with strikes aimed mainly at Russian energy installations — mirroring, though at a far smaller scale, the destructive Russian attacks aimed at Ukraine’s power grid. —Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024

Meanwhile, the victim was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after the attack. —Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 12 Apr. 2024

The London police are investigating the attack as a potential case of terrorism. —Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024

Iran blames Israel for the attack, and has vowed to retaliate. —Peter Kenyon, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024

During the attack, 1,200 people were killed, and 240 more were abducted and taken to Gaza as hostages. —Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 12 Apr. 2024

In the face of these attacks, many company leaders are troublingly silent about their commitment to DEI. —Adia Harvey Wingfield, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2024

Adjective

How common is the multi-attack ransomware threat? —Davey Winder, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2022

Among its findings are that most attackers exhibit indicators of pre-attack behavior. —Brooke Baitinger, Sun Sentinel, 15 June 2022

Many of the reactionary shifts in public opinion after 9/11 have reverted to pre-attack levels, according to fresh analysis by Pew Research Center. —Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Sep. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Verb, Noun, and Adjective

Middle French attaquer, from Old Italian *estaccare to attach, from stacca stake, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English staca

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1576, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing attack

• angle of attack
• anxiety attack
• attack dog
• banzai attack
• brain attack
• come under attack
• counter-attack
• go on the attack
• heart attack
• in attack
• nearly gave someone a heart attack
• on the attack
• panic attack
• plan of attack
• to come under attack
• transient ischemic attack
• under attack

Kids Definition

attack

1 of 2 verb

at·​tack ə-ˈtak 

1

: to take strong action against

the dog attacked a skunk

2

: to use unfriendly or bitter words against

3

: to begin to cause something harmful or destructive to happen to

attacked by fever

4

: to start work on

attack a problem

attacker noun

attack

2 of 2 noun

1

: the act or action of attacking : assault

2

: a beginning of work on something (as a problem or project)

3

: a spell of sickness

especially : one of a disease that is long-lasting or that tends to occur over and over again

Medical Definition

attack

1 of 2 transitive verb

at·​tack ə-ˈtak 

: to begin to affect or to act on injuriously

tumors attacked the kidneys

attacked by a fever

attack

2 of 2 noun

: a fit of sickness

especially : an active episode of a chronic or recurrent disease

Legal Definition

attack

noun

at·​tack

: an attempt to prove something invalid or incorrect especially through judicial procedures

made an attack on the will as not properly witnessed

specifically : an attempt to have the judgment of a court corrected or overruled

— collateral attack

: an attack on a judgment made during or by a proceeding brought for a different purpose see also habeas corpus ad subjiciendum at habeas corpus

— direct attack

: an attack on a judgment made in a proceeding (as an appeal) brought for the specific purpose of having the judgment corrected or overturned

attack verb