1
as in assaulting
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 slamming
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 tackling
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 attacking
Fitz also has some stiff competition in the attacking midfield.
—
Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 7 May 2026
Trump and his allies are attacking democracy itself, from the rights to protest and exist freely to the rights to fair jobs and livable wages.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
But attacking the pope doesn't go over well in Italy.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 7 May 2026
At times, the Golden Knights have been forced to navigate their way through the neutral zone and into the attacking zone through a forest of sticks.
—Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 7 May 2026
According to prosecutors, Joachin is accused of attacking the victim outside a gas station, striking her repeatedly in the head with a hammer and killing her.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
But Aoun said such a meeting would first require Israel to stop attacking Lebanon.
—Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN Money, 6 May 2026
He was also found guilty of two counts of assault for attacking two other men with butcher knives.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
Nine goals in their past two league matches is also not to be sniffed at, with a lot of that attacking firepower helped by playing Igor Jesus and Wood together up front.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 7 May 2026
Trump and his allies are attacking democracy itself, from the rights to protest and exist freely to the rights to fair jobs and livable wages.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
But attacking the pope doesn't go over well in Italy.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 7 May 2026
At times, the Golden Knights have been forced to navigate their way through the neutral zone and into the attacking zone through a forest of sticks.
—Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 7 May 2026
According to prosecutors, Joachin is accused of attacking the victim outside a gas station, striking her repeatedly in the head with a hammer and killing her.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
But Aoun said such a meeting would first require Israel to stop attacking Lebanon.
—Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN Money, 6 May 2026
He was also found guilty of two counts of assault for attacking two other men with butcher knives.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026
Nine goals in their past two league matches is also not to be sniffed at, with a lot of that attacking firepower helped by playing Igor Jesus and Wood together up front.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attacking
Verb
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Kazmierczak initially pleaded not guilty to one count of assaulting a United States officer.—
Ava Kelley,
NBC news,
7 May 2026
-
Nationwide, large numbers of federal cases have fallen apart after prosecutors charged protesters, government critics, immigrants and others arrested at messy demonstrations during immigration operations with assaulting or interfering with officers.—
Brian Rokos,
Daily News,
7 May 2026
Verb
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The world’s second largest economy has been relatively insulated from the historic global oil crisis slamming its neighbors – including key regional US allies – due to China’s huge oil reserves, its high level of energy self-sufficiency and its early shift to green energy.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
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Stewart’s critics have been slamming her, saying there was a pattern of favoritism at city hall during her 12-year tenure.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
Verb
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So the 2026 Frontier Pro-4X is more than capable of tackling serious trails.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
3 May 2026
-
The food emergency is being driven by violence from armed groups, political unrest and an economic crisis, the agency says, and rising fuel prices are jeopardizing what little progress the country has made in tackling the problem.—
Anabella González,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Dozens of armed federal agents and LAPD officers were seeing raiding several storefronts near the Alvarado corridor on Wednesday afternoon.—
Brittny Mejia,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
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The Governor’s Budget shows a $22 billion deficit for ’27/28, even after raiding $12 billion from the Rainy-Day Fund.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Verb
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First, as the Florida ACLU’s Howard Simon points out, Uthmeier is not scolding another branch of government.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Mar. 2026
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Security guard Pascal Duvier, most recently infamous for allegedly scolding 11-year-old Ada Law at a hotel in São Paulo, is clearing the air.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One way of approaching this is to go back to our earlier discussion about attitudes.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
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Kazmierczak is sitting in the front row and stands up, quickly approaching Omar and squirting apple cider vinegar on her with a syringe.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Winter storming warnings will go into effect for parts of Wyoming and Colorado including Rocky Mountain National Park from late May 4 through May 6.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
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Video shows the military storming into the village and furious mourners throwing stones at the vehicles.—
Molly Hunter,
NBC news,
2 May 2026
Verb
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According to a Reddit post from the company and a spokesperson, the Spectrum emails are legit and are part of the FBI’s effort to crack down on Russian hackers abusing 23 TP-Link router models.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
30 Apr. 2026
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He was accused of abusing boys, a charge that went unproven but sullied his reputation in Europe.—
Amanda Rosa
Updated April 28,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Attacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attacking. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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