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
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Recent Examples of offensives
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
The army has retaken territory from ethnic militias, including the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which had launched powerful offensives along with pro-democracy resistance forces in northeastern Myanmar near the Chinese border and in western Myanmar.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
Putin is widely expected to launch new offensives as the weather in Ukraine improves, piling further pressure on Kyiv.
—Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
From these footholds, Indonesian special forces organized and launched offensives against Fretilin to force its retreat.
—Agathe Demarolle, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026
Nation-states now pair kinetic strikes with digital offensives.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Dynamic shifts on the battlefield — with large swaths of Ukrainian land changing hands in offensives and counteroffensives in the early years of the war — have since given way to a conflict of inches.
—Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 24 Feb. 2026
The report said Russian forces have advanced at an average rate of between 49 to 230 feet per day in their most prominent offensives.
—Arkansas Online, 29 Jan. 2026
Higher-level Russian headquarters interpret this footage as evidence that territory has been captured and therefore do not order further offensives.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
The army has retaken territory from ethnic militias, including the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which had launched powerful offensives along with pro-democracy resistance forces in northeastern Myanmar near the Chinese border and in western Myanmar.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
Putin is widely expected to launch new offensives as the weather in Ukraine improves, piling further pressure on Kyiv.
—Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
From these footholds, Indonesian special forces organized and launched offensives against Fretilin to force its retreat.
—Agathe Demarolle, Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Mar. 2026
Nation-states now pair kinetic strikes with digital offensives.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Dynamic shifts on the battlefield — with large swaths of Ukrainian land changing hands in offensives and counteroffensives in the early years of the war — have since given way to a conflict of inches.
—Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 24 Feb. 2026
The report said Russian forces have advanced at an average rate of between 49 to 230 feet per day in their most prominent offensives.
—Arkansas Online, 29 Jan. 2026
Higher-level Russian headquarters interpret this footage as evidence that territory has been captured and therefore do not order further offensives.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offensives
Noun
-
Each one would need to stock more interceptors and operate with escort ships to fend off attacks.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
-
Simple steps like version pinning or requiring a cool-down period before new library releases are available to developers can go a very long way toward blunting the supply chain attacks that are about to become far more common.—
Philip Martin,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Prosecutors say Ian Roberts spent nearly two decades working in urban schools without authorization, using a counterfeit Social Security card as Des Moines’ leader, even as Trump-era ICE raids intensified.—
Hannah Fingerhut,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
The bakery became a gathering point for community support during federal immigration raids in Charlotte last fall, when Betancur temporarily closed the shop for the first time in its history.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
The girl was 11 years old when the assaults began, according to prosecutors.—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
-
Some detailed violent interactions with customers, including robberies and physical assaults, and said the company didn’t provide safety training.—
Itzel Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Joseph himself has acknowledged that opposing offenses have attacked his scheme with tight ends across the past two seasons, and Singleton and Strnad have both had spotty records covering TEs in space.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
-
Most of these prisoners had committed relatively minor offenses like petty theft, but because of prison overcrowding in Great Britain, they were transferred to Australia to do manual labor like building roads, farming, construction, etc.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
30 May 2026
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
Noun
-
The sharp comedy follows their meetings over the course of the school year, revealing the micro-aggressions, class distinctions, and prejudices of the council members, which Spector addresses with clever, amusing insight.—
Mary Damiano,
Miami Herald,
27 May 2026
-
Race, bad bosses and the fly-on-the-wall fun of watching office politics and micro-aggressions play out makes this workplace suspense novel a total page-turner (as well as a binge-worthy limited television series).—
Laura Zigman,
PEOPLE,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
His firm, Kroll, fields impersonation attempts constantly — fake emails, fake invoices, fake voices purporting to be him.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 June 2026
-
Years of unrelenting pressure—smear campaigns, interrogations, arrests, a violent raid, and underhanded attempts at control—had succeeded in breaking it.—
Bozorgmehr Sharafedin,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Scott had two strikes on each of the three Phillies hitters who reached base in the inning.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
31 May 2026
-
Some residents have already left the area due to intense strikes in recent days, but people remain.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Offensives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offensives. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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