offensives

noun

plural of offensive
as in attacks
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence the primary offensive by the ground forces will commence at dawn tomorrow

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 offensives However, Iran analysts are highly skeptical that Tehran will prove capable of launching any such large-scale ground offensives any time soon. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 Israel’s ongoing offensives have become a wedge issue for Jewish and non-Jewish Americans, leading to protests and raising antisemitism fears and questions about America’s close ties to Israel. — David Crary, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026 Countries are scrambling not to fall behind in AI — and French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are leading a personal charm offensives to court tech CEOs. — Kai Nicol-Schwarz,priyanka Salve, CNBC, 4 July 2026 Since the army broke the siege on el-Obeid last year, the RSF has launched multiple offensives in attempts to reestablish the siege from several directions. — ABC News, 24 June 2026 By targeting logistics hubs and resource stockpiles, Ukraine is attacking the systems that sustain Russian offensives. — Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 9 June 2026 The twin offensives are targeting Hamas and Hezbollah respectively, though critics argue that the operations are motivated at least in part by domestic politics — Israel is due to hold elections by October — and are amplifying troubling humanitarian situations in Gaza and Lebanon. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 29 May 2026 In response, guerrilla groups of liberals and the left emerged, gathering thousands of people in rural areas and launching offensives against the army. — Roberto Andrés, The Dial, 28 May 2026 The Oilers won nine series in the last four years and represented the West in unsuccessful offensives against the Florida Panthers in each of the past two Junes. — Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offensives
  1. attacks
  2. raids
  3. assaults
  4. offenses
  5. onslaughts
  6. aggressions
  7. attempts
  8. strikes
Noun
  • In recent years and as online culture changed, Hilton toned down his public attacks and appeared to embrace fatherhood and adopt a kinder public persona, even integrating more family-friendly content on his site.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Russia set new wartime records for both the scale and pace of its missile attacks on Ukraine in July, according to data released by the Ukrainian Air Force.
    — Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacks
Noun
  • On the streets of Brooklyn’s Little Haiti, DHS’ announcement had a quieting effect, as fears of federal immigration raids swept the community, locals told the Daily News.
    — Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Offer sheets can be sent, but teams will be aware of the practice and defend against such player raids.
    — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of raids
Noun
  • The lawsuit claims the store manager took videos of the assaults and ordered employees to participate in the assaults and record their own videos.
    — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 29 July 2026
  • Russia will likely continue using a limited number of mechanized assaults while relying primarily on small-unit infiltrations.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of assaults
Noun
  • Dawson, a long-time cannabis advocate, highlights the injustice of people still incarcerated for offenses now legal.
    — Javier Hasse, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The defensive coordinator liked the idea of shifting in and out of different looks before the snap to keep offenses off-balanced pre-snap.
    — Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of offenses
Noun
  • Russia appeared to be flexing its military muscle in a show of force with its latest aerial onslaughts on Ukraine.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 May 2026
  • Wardley, 31, had never lost in 21 bouts before Saturday, and somehow withstood numerous onslaughts from Dubois (23-3) without ever touching the canvas in a remarkable display of courage.
    — Chris McKenna, New York Times, 9 May 2026
Definition of onslaughts
Noun
  • Many of the physical aggressions KFF Health News identified in CMS inspection reports were perpetrated by residents with diagnoses of dementia, schizophrenia, or other cognitive disorders.
    — Jordan Rau, NPR, 19 July 2026
  • Vitello, meanwhile, just takes it — macro- and micro-aggressions alike.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 21 June 2026
Definition of aggressions
Noun
  • Craig completed six of his seven pass attempts, including throwing back-to-back touchdowns to Dozie Ezukanma on a slant and a jump ball score to tight end Ka’Morreun Pimpton on a fade route in the end zone.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 July 2026
  • Authorities that same month arrested 60 people for spreading false information online to encourage a mass crossing, and blocked more than 11,300 individual attempts in a single month.
    — Frank Ahrens, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of attempts
Noun
  • Russian forces have increased the number of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, likely as part of a push to exploit Kyiv’s shortage of ballistic missile interceptors.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Rollins brought up the Bloodline, prompting back-and-forth strikes from the two former brothers.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of strikes

Browse Nearby Words

offensiveness
offensives
offer
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Cite this Entry

“Offensives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offensives. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of offensives for Spanish Speakers

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