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
The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities recently launched a campaign attacking the governor for allowing the state’s overreliance on property taxes to worsen and for seeking to slash summer work programs that assist the state’s troubled youths.
—
Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2025
The early glimpses show a player with real potential in the attacking third, capable of thriving in transition and striking well at goal.
—Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
The European drive to rearm is being driven, or justified, in part by the fear that Russia may try to test NATO by attacking Poland or the Baltic States.
—Anatol Lieven, TIME, 14 Mar. 2025
The kidnapping culminated with Braeburn attacking Chimney (Kenneth Choi) and ultimately shot dead by Athena (Angela Bassett) — but not before exposing the missing persons detective's multiple personalities and painful past.
—Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Completely misreading Hamas, the army believed that it was deterred from attacking Israel by the outcome of previous fighting.
—Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
He is not known for playing attacking football, which was cited as a contributing factor behind Moyes’ departure.
—Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
Moyes is likely to spend the summer focusing on improving the squad’s attacking output.
—Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
Last offseason, when Hughes changed his diet and took a scientific approach to playing a more aggressive form of attacking hockey, he was motivated, in part, by what Hughes imagined to be the likely criticism that would come his way after he was named the Vancouver Canucks’ newest captain.
—Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025
Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2025
The early glimpses show a player with real potential in the attacking third, capable of thriving in transition and striking well at goal.
—Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
The European drive to rearm is being driven, or justified, in part by the fear that Russia may try to test NATO by attacking Poland or the Baltic States.
—Anatol Lieven, TIME, 14 Mar. 2025
The kidnapping culminated with Braeburn attacking Chimney (Kenneth Choi) and ultimately shot dead by Athena (Angela Bassett) — but not before exposing the missing persons detective's multiple personalities and painful past.
—Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Completely misreading Hamas, the army believed that it was deterred from attacking Israel by the outcome of previous fighting.
—Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
He is not known for playing attacking football, which was cited as a contributing factor behind Moyes’ departure.
—Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
Moyes is likely to spend the summer focusing on improving the squad’s attacking output.
—Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
Last offseason, when Hughes changed his diet and took a scientific approach to playing a more aggressive form of attacking hockey, he was motivated, in part, by what Hughes imagined to be the likely criticism that would come his way after he was named the Vancouver Canucks’ newest captain.
—Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attacking
Verb
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The perpetrators allegedly transported victims to isolated islands near New Providence before assaulting them.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Apr. 2025
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In the early morning hours when inexperienced corrections officers were on duty, the two inmates fled the kitchen, raping, assaulting and tying up two workers while en route to the tower.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr.,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Hundreds of drones being used as part of a Saturday night aerial light show in Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando appeared to be flying into position before several started falling from the sky before slamming to the ground, according to videos posted online.—
Louis Casiano,
Fox News,
23 Dec. 2024
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His endorsement of the AfD came alongside a video of a far-right German commentator slamming the leading candidate to become Germany’s next chancellor, the conservative Friedrich Merz.—
Laura Kelly,
The Hill,
20 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The study underscores the importance of tackling the obesity epidemic, with one billion individuals projected to be living with obesity by 2030, according to the World Obesity Federation.—
Omer Awan,
Forbes,
24 Dec. 2024
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These pros know exactly where to begin when tackling a disaster of a bedroom closet or an overflowing kitchen cupboard.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Toxic positivity often prevents teams from fully addressing difficult problems.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes,
25 Mar. 2025
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Similar to linebacker, the Bears’ moves up front this offseason make addressing safety a possibility in the draft.—
Kevin Fishbain,
The Athletic,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
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There were other chances, goals ruled out, Murphy striking the crossbar, and then Joelinton gilded the scoreline after intercepting a pass out from Amadou Onana that straddled negligence and criminality.—
George Caulkin,
The Athletic,
27 Dec. 2024
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In a wide-ranging interview with NPR, Governor Maher Marwan, 42, said that Syria's new government did not want to seek conflict with Israel, which has been striking strategic military installations in Syria since the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad fell earlier this month.—
Hadeel Al-Shalchi,
NPR,
27 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Finally, Assad’s fall has fueled domestic discontent among loyalists to the regime in Tehran, with some calling the loss a strategic blunder and openly criticizing the government on state television.—
Hamidreza Azizi,
Foreign Affairs,
23 Dec. 2024
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Shiney-Ajay said Harris should have spent additional time criticizing lawmakers—like Manchin and Congressional Republicans—who limited the administration's climate goals, using it as a chance to emphasize her intent to seek greater climate victories in the future.—
Alex J. Rouhandeh,
Newsweek,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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One of Mangione’s attorneys told a judge that government officials, including New York Mayor Eric Adams, have turned Mangione into a political pawn, robbing him of his rights as a defendant and tainting the jury pool.—
Michael R. Sisak and Jake Offenhartz,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Dec. 2024
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Cops have arrested a motorist accused of attacking and robbing an NYPD traffic enforcement agent of his electronic summons book after getting a ticket on a busy Queens street, police said Friday.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
20 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Despite the wrinkles and gray hair of the men playing them, AC/DC’s songs remain timeless slices of crude and rude rock custom made for blasting from the cars of stoned teenagers.—
Ross Raihala,
Twin Cities,
11 Apr. 2025
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Doyle started the game with a bang, blasting his third homer 391 feet down the left field line on a hanging slider.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Attacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attacking. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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