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
Relevance
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
There’s something rare about Swain, who is a young brainiac, but one who has built his business the old-fashioned, pre-quant-trading and Excel models Wall Street way, via charm offensives that weave webs of tight relationships few rivals can match.
—
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2025
Since October 2023, Israel's ground and air offensives in Gaza have displaced more than 2 million people and killed more than 68,500 Palestinians, according to the AP.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
Financiers organized press offensives and enlisted top reporters as allies, offering lucrative jobs or outright bribes.
—Evan Hughes, The Atlantic, 20 Oct. 2025
Chapter narrators alternate between a homing pigeon and a soldier whose futures intersect in the most terrible of war offensives in France.
—The Know, Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2025
Israel’s offensives displaced most of Gaza’s population, forcing more than two million people to run for safety to the shifting patches of land the Israeli military described as humanitarian zones.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2025
Debates have raged in the busy industry program, standby ticket queues have snaked outside venues for the hottest premieres and the stars — in their droves — have been out in force and on major charm offensives, with distributors using the fest to launch both awards and release campaigns.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
Israel's sustained bombing campaign and relentless ground force offensives have leveled most of Gaza's homes, schools, hospitals and businesses.
—Greg Myre, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
Glen Powell’s rapid ascent from working actor to movie star constitutes one of Hollywood’s great charm offensives.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2025
Since October 2023, Israel's ground and air offensives in Gaza have displaced more than 2 million people and killed more than 68,500 Palestinians, according to the AP.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
Financiers organized press offensives and enlisted top reporters as allies, offering lucrative jobs or outright bribes.
—Evan Hughes, The Atlantic, 20 Oct. 2025
Chapter narrators alternate between a homing pigeon and a soldier whose futures intersect in the most terrible of war offensives in France.
—The Know, Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2025
Israel’s offensives displaced most of Gaza’s population, forcing more than two million people to run for safety to the shifting patches of land the Israeli military described as humanitarian zones.
—Kara Fox, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2025
Debates have raged in the busy industry program, standby ticket queues have snaked outside venues for the hottest premieres and the stars — in their droves — have been out in force and on major charm offensives, with distributors using the fest to launch both awards and release campaigns.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025
Israel's sustained bombing campaign and relentless ground force offensives have leveled most of Gaza's homes, schools, hospitals and businesses.
—Greg Myre, NPR, 9 Oct. 2025
Glen Powell’s rapid ascent from working actor to movie star constitutes one of Hollywood’s great charm offensives.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offensives
Noun
-
Matthew and Christina were both in critical condition following the shooting, their family said in a GoFundMe set up immediately after the attacks.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Long forward passes in transition are common, rather than expansive, intricate attacks.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Another 564 Israelis were killed in raids carried out by Palestinians coming from the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria in the same period.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Newsweek has revealed dozens of cases involving green card holders and applicants who were swept up in the ICE raids.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Ising’s case is among a series of incidents The Star has reported on in recent months in which fire department employees charged with serious crimes — including assaults, a felony drug case and multiple DWIs — were allowed to remain on the job, some for years.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Vril and Agartha have thrived in part because of the way the editors mix brainrot and bigotry, disguising their ideological assaults in the fried fog of GifTok rap gibberish.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Seattle’s defense has made fans think of the glory days when the Legion of Boom was enraging offenses around the league in the early 2010s.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Gun crime is particularly low, with the country recording 5,103 offenses involving firearms over this past year, according to government statistics.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The proceedings seem to be going fine until unexpected tensions and aggressions start to break out among the dancers.—
Samantha Allen,
Them.,
7 Oct. 2025
-
For Brasília, Beijing constitutes an indispensable strategic partner, but Washington, even after its recent aggressions, remains an irreplaceable global power.—
HUSSEIN KALOUT,
Foreign Affairs,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Stars struggled to find the target on their three attempts against Sergei Bobrovsky in the shootout.—
Adam H. Beasley,
Miami Herald,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Shot attempts were 25-12, scoring chances were 11-5 and HD chances were 3-0.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Washington’s offensive has accelerated in recent days; US lawmakers, including Republicans, have criticized the strikes, which have not been approved by Congress.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Already, sea creatures have been plagued in 2025 by deadly algae blooms, bacterial illnesses and shifts in food sources, as well as the always-present threats of fishing gear and ship strikes.—
Erika I. Ritchie,
Oc Register,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Offensives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offensives. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share