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attack

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verb

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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb attack contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of attack are assail, assault, bombard, and storm. While all these words mean "to make an onslaught upon," attack implies taking the initiative in a struggle.

plan to attack the town at dawn

When could assail be used to replace attack?

The words assail and attack are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, assail implies attempting to break down resistance by repeated blows or shots.

assailed the enemy with artillery fire

When might assault be a better fit than attack?

Although the words assault and attack have much in common, assault suggests a direct attempt to overpower by suddenness and violence of onslaught.

commandos assaulted the building from all sides

When would bombard be a good substitute for attack?

The synonyms bombard and attack are sometimes interchangeable, but bombard applies to attacking with bombs or shells.

bombarded the city nightly

When can storm be used instead of attack?

While the synonyms storm and attack are close in meaning, storm implies attempting to break into a defended position.

preparing to storm the fortress

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of attack
Noun
Shortly after, graphic close-up videos of the attack began proliferating on X and TikTok. Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025 At the annual observance at the 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan, family members of the victims read aloud the names of those killed in the 9/11 attacks and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
The weapon’s specialized seeker allows the use of Mark 80-series bombs for attacking ships. Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025 Kirk had attacked Omar both personally and politically in the past. Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for attack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attack
Noun
  • In California’s strawberry fields, an ICE raid sparked widespread panic and disruption among farmworker communities.
    David Rodriguez Muñoz, Freep.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • South Korean workers detained during a massive immigration raid in Georgia Thursday will be returned to South Korea on a chartered flight following negotiations, an official announced Sunday.
    Hanna Park, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • But the intense competition also led to fierce price wars with accompanying bouts of over-capacity.
    Ian King, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Over his career, Inoue won and defended the WBO junior bantamweight title seven times before moving to bantamweight for nine bouts.
    Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Another man charged with assaulting former Arizona Coyotes hockey player Paul Bissonnette has accepted a plea deal, according to court records.
    Wren Smetana, AZCentral.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • That rich and powerful people are going to be held to account for assaulting underaged girls.
    ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • During hours of debate on Friday, which Republicans eventually shut down using a procedural move, Democrats continued to slam the new map as detrimental to voters – particularly for voters in Kansas City, Missouri, which would be split among multiple districts.
    Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Other coffee bean-growing countries are also being slammed with tariffs.
    Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Storms approaching the region start to reach cooler waters that aren't warm enough to fuel a hurricane and tradewinds in the region can topple a storm's cloud structure.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Goldenberg approached his side job with caution.
    Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Mad Men would be named Best Drama for a third straight year and Temple Grandin commenced what turned out to be a seemingly endless onslaught at every applicable awards show, as the TV-movie tied an Emmy record with five major wins.
    Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Poland was not alone in defending its citizens from the Russian onslaught meant for Ukraine.
    Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • His father, Rob Sampson, added to CBS News that Logan has only had two seizures, but could be vulnerable without his medication.
    Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
  • We're protected from unreasonable searches and seizures.
    Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Just five days later, on September 9, demonstrators stormed and set fire to key government buildings, deposing the administration, as the BBC reported.
    Javier Bastardo, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • And in a rural field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, a similar ceremony marked by moments of silence, the reading of names and the laying of wreaths, will honor the victims of Flight 93, the hijacked plane that crashed after crew members and passengers tried to storm the cockpit.
    Philip Marcelo, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Attack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attack. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

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