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
For any politician unwilling or unable to persuade the public with facts and strong rebuttals, attacking the messenger becomes the path of least resistance.
—
Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2026
When attacking adult or adolescent males, Sandel said the chimpanzees use collective violence.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 9 Apr. 2026
Atletico's bid to make its first semifinal appearance since 2017 will depend on its defense and a mix of attacking options which include Julián Álvarez, Ademola Lookman and Alexander Sorloth.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
The design immediately drew ridicule from some critics who likened the arches to a giant tarantula attacking downtown Miami, or the arches on a McDonald’s outlet.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
And attacking civilian power plants is a war crime under the Geneva Accords.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2026
Per SkillCorner, no player in the division receives more passes in tight spaces and under high pressure than Suarez, often tasked with shielding the ball and keeping attacking moves flowing with defenders breathing down his neck.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, a security guard patrolling the Los Angeles Convention Center parking garage witnessed a man allegedly attacking another with a three-to-four-foot pole just after midnight in the area of Convention Center Drive and Venice Boulevard.
—Austin Turner, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
An Arizona man allegedly confessed to killing his parents in a 911 call after attacking them with a hammer and knife, according to court documents.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2026
When attacking adult or adolescent males, Sandel said the chimpanzees use collective violence.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 9 Apr. 2026
Atletico's bid to make its first semifinal appearance since 2017 will depend on its defense and a mix of attacking options which include Julián Álvarez, Ademola Lookman and Alexander Sorloth.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
The design immediately drew ridicule from some critics who likened the arches to a giant tarantula attacking downtown Miami, or the arches on a McDonald’s outlet.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026
And attacking civilian power plants is a war crime under the Geneva Accords.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2026
Per SkillCorner, no player in the division receives more passes in tight spaces and under high pressure than Suarez, often tasked with shielding the ball and keeping attacking moves flowing with defenders breathing down his neck.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, a security guard patrolling the Los Angeles Convention Center parking garage witnessed a man allegedly attacking another with a three-to-four-foot pole just after midnight in the area of Convention Center Drive and Venice Boulevard.
—Austin Turner, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
An Arizona man allegedly confessed to killing his parents in a 911 call after attacking them with a hammer and knife, according to court documents.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attacking
Verb
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The lawyers had argued that a history of assaulting women didn’t make Combs guilty of the crimes charged.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
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Philadelphia sports radio personality Mike Missanelli was arrested early Wednesday morning for allegedly assaulting his fiancee, police said.—
Laura Fay,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Swinyard said Mortensen allegedly drove away with Paul against her wishes, before the two got into an altercation that included Mortensen grabbing her head and slamming it into the dashboard, then hitting her knee and elbow with his fist.—
Rebecca Cohen,
NBC news,
7 Apr. 2026
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Video shows a car striking a large trash bin before slamming into the building.—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Instead of tackling the previously modern interior as a neutral box to be repainted, the architect duo created a coherent design strategy in which every vertical surface and piece of furniture participated in a precise system built around color.—
Ludovica Stevan,
Architectural Digest,
5 Apr. 2026
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These will again address the real and immediate needs of people and the planet, such as tackling the climate crisis, bringing down the cost of living and rebuilding our public services, including the NHS.—
Michael Saunders,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Residents said the attackers operated for hours, raiding homes and sending residents to flee to safety in neighboring communities.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
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There’s also talk of US forces raiding nuclear sites deep inside Iran to retrieve worrisome nuclear material, amid heightened fears that it could be used by an angry and desperate Iranian regime to manufacture nuclear weapons.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 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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Home surveillance footage showed the coyote come up behind the little boy as he was turned away, unaware of the wild animal approaching him.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
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The sea lion breeding and pupping season is fast approaching at main rookeries such as the Channel Islands, according to Giancarlo Rulli, associate director of public relations for the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Balint shouted before storming out of the hearing.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
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What it cannot any longer be described as, at least not honestly, is a problem that begins only when Chinese troops start storming ashore.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Instead of writing obvious viruses, attackers are increasingly abusing legitimate features built into operating systems and cloud services.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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Ensuring your Wi-Fi router receives software updates is crucial to patching vulnerabilities, especially since the router ban is all about stopping hackers from abusing flaws in today’s home networking gear.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Attacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attacking. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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