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
-
This mountainous region is known for its lush forests, lakes and valleys – and for being a hotspot for this year’s deadly bear attacks in Japan.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a large portion of Iran's ballistic missile arsenal was destroyed during the first hours of the aerial attacks.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Not only has Rodrigo been vocal in her opposition to Trump, endorsing his opponent Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, but she’s also specifically called out his harsh crackdown on immigration by way of ICE raids this past year.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Von had been Trump-friendly before the gruesome and heartbreaking videos of the ICE raids targeting working immigrants started going viral on social media.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Miller was convicted of assaults on women aged 56, 68 and 22.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
8 Nov. 2025
-
According to his application, the assaults occurred between 2010 and 2023.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Gatica was tracked down, arrested on charges of DUI and related offenses, and booked into the Orange County Jail.—
Greg Wehner , Bill Melugin,
FOXNews.com,
10 Nov. 2025
-
He was also convicted twice in Yolo County for DUI in 2017 and 2023 and had been warned by judges that future offenses could lead to murder charges.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Her visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which its nearest neighbors see as an homage to Japan’s past wartime aggressions, have also angered both of those nations.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
Even on low volume from deep (seven attempts), that’s a recipe for offensive success, and it was reflected in Mizzou’s 50 first-half points.—
Scott Chasen,
Kansas City Star,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Her clarion voice slices through the show’s labored attempts to be both fable and fabulous.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
An earlier vote to limit the strikes in the Caribbean failed.—
Claudia Grisales,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Taiwan produces upwards of 90 percent of the world’s most advanced semiconductors, and any damage to these facilities—whether by Chinese strikes or defensive actions—would severely disrupt global technology supply chains.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Offensives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offensives. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share