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

• assault
• raid
• storm
• strike

Noun

• raid
• assault
• onslaught
• strike
• offensive
• attempt
• offense

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

Unlike their alligator cousins, which are known to occasionally attack people, American crocodiles are shyer and less aggressive. —David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025

Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and took around 250 hostages, and their release has been a central tenet of the first phase of the peace agreement. —Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025

Noun

The coordinated attack left a local officer shot in the neck. —Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2025

The drone attacks investigated by the commission regularly targeted civilian homes and infrastructure such as hospitals, humanitarian distribution points, power facilities and a school, according to the UN report. —Catherine Nicholls, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025

Adjective

After conceding three more counter-attack goals at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan last weekend, there’s an increasing feeling that when the press doesn’t quite click, things are more liable to go spectacularly wrong. —Thom Harris, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025

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

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

Rhymes for attack

• aback
• anzac
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback
• cutback

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