1
as in assaulted
to take sudden, violent action against
our dog unexpectedly attacked the mailman, sinking his teeth into the startled man's leg
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slammed
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
the mayor and all his aides were attacked mercilessly in the press when the scandal erupted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tackled
to start work on energetically
Courtney attacked the huge mess in her room with determination and enthusiasm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of attacked
Rabbi Perry Nussbaum, the congregation’s leader from the 1950s to the 70s, supported civil rights activists and helped found an interracial group of clergy to help rebuild Black churches attacked by white supremacists, according to the institute.
—
Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 13 Jan. 2026
And, the dog attacked again after the owner failed to secure the dog in a separate room.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2026
The boy was attacked by the dog, described as an adult American bulldog, and the grandmother also suffered significant injuries while stopping the attack.
—Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 12 Jan. 2026
The youngest is a barn owl that was found with bite marks on her after her nest was attacked.
—Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Jan. 2026
Only weeks earlier, the city had been shaken by the murder of Caroline Isenberg, a recent Harvard graduate and an aspiring actress who was attacked and dragged to the rooftop of her West End Avenue apartment building by Emmanuel Torres, the twenty-two-year-old son of its superintendent.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Crabtree stopped, turned, attacked the ball and snagged it.
—The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Walter Bingham was 14 years old when Nazis and other Germans attacked Jewish businesses, stores, homes and places of worship.
—Ashley Carnahan, FOXNews.com, 9 Nov. 2025
Just over an hour after the lifeguard was attacked, a 3- to 4-foot reef shark was seen at Kauai’s Poipu Beach, according to Kauai County’s Ocean Safety Bureau.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 13 Jan. 2026
And, the dog attacked again after the owner failed to secure the dog in a separate room.
—Adam Thompson, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2026
The boy was attacked by the dog, described as an adult American bulldog, and the grandmother also suffered significant injuries while stopping the attack.
—Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 12 Jan. 2026
The youngest is a barn owl that was found with bite marks on her after her nest was attacked.
—Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Jan. 2026
Only weeks earlier, the city had been shaken by the murder of Caroline Isenberg, a recent Harvard graduate and an aspiring actress who was attacked and dragged to the rooftop of her West End Avenue apartment building by Emmanuel Torres, the twenty-two-year-old son of its superintendent.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
Crabtree stopped, turned, attacked the ball and snagged it.
—The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Walter Bingham was 14 years old when Nazis and other Germans attacked Jewish businesses, stores, homes and places of worship.
—Ashley Carnahan, FOXNews.com, 9 Nov. 2025
Just over an hour after the lifeguard was attacked, a 3- to 4-foot reef shark was seen at Kauai’s Poipu Beach, according to Kauai County’s Ocean Safety Bureau.
—Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attacked
Verb
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Gregory Bovino, who has been in Minneapolis this week, said on social media that protesters assaulted agents and there were four total arrests.—
Rebecca Santana,
Fortune,
10 Jan. 2026
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At those homes, she was repeatedly assaulted and became a victim of human trafficking, according to the lawsuit.—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Wilson slammed Homeland Security officials for the shooting that came a day after a woman was fatally shot by immigration agents in Minneapolis.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
9 Jan. 2026
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Many Democrats have slammed the administration's conclusions, arguing that the video does not appear to show the woman trying to hit officers.—
Maggie Vespa,
NBC news,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Their TikTok and Instagram updates documenting the mansion’s transformation quickly found an audience, with thousands watching as the Yousefs tackled one challenge after another.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
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The group has smacked around quarterbacks, tackled well and dominated most key areas but hasn’t taken the ball away like an elite defense.—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors said that in December 2024, Mexican authorities raided multiple fentanyl production labs across Sinaloa that were allegedly controlled by the father and son and made the world’s largest ever fentanyl seizure, which totaled more than 3,300 pounds of the ultra-potent drug.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
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Getting their roster raided by Power 4 conference programs, including the one where their former coach is now running the show.—
The Athletic College Football Staff,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Students sat in rows, making faces at each other, scolded by their teachers to behave.—
David Wilson,
Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders scolded the media on Sunday after the team’s close loss to the Buffalo Bills at home.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
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During their initial investigation, police found that two men approached the home's front door.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
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The teen was playing basketball at the park when he was approached by a group of young adults, who asked the teen if he was affiliated with a gang and tried to start a fight, police said.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Stars have now lost six straight games (0-3-3) after getting battered Tuesday night by those same Hurricanes that Colorado stormed back against three days prior.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
7 Jan. 2026
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After Washington led by as many as 26 points late in the third quarter, the Magic stormed back and used a 42-18 run to cut their deficit to just two points with five minutes left in the game.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The suit alleges that Ham abused her repeatedly over a number of years, and that defendants knew of the abuse, but instead chose to prioritize reputational and financial interests over her safety.—
Rachel DeSantis,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
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Canty, a former special agent in charge of the SBI’s Charlotte region office, resigned from the Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Office in November 2024 and issued a letter then alleging that McFadden abused his powers.—
Ryan Oehrli,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Attacked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attacked. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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