attack

American  

[uh-tak] / əˈtæk /

verb (used with object)

• attacks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• attacked,
  past participle,  past
• attacking
  present participle

1. to set upon in a forceful, violent, hostile, or aggressive way, with or without a weapon; begin fighting with.

   He attacked him with his bare hands.

   Synonyms:

   charge, storm

   Antonyms:

   defend

2. to begin hostilities against; start an offensive against.

   to attack the enemy.

3. to blame or abuse violently or bitterly.

4. to direct unfavorable criticism against; criticize severely; argue with strongly.

   He attacked his opponent's statement.

   Synonyms:

   abuse, oppugn, impugn, censure

   Antonyms:

   defend

5. to try to destroy, especially with verbal abuse.

   to attack the mayor's reputation.

6. to set about (a task) or go to work on (a thing) vigorously.

   to attack housecleaning;

   to attack the hamburger hungrily.

7. (of disease, destructive agencies, etc.) to begin to affect.

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verb (used without object)

• attacks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• attacked,
  past participle,  past
• attacking
  present participle

1. to make an attack; begin hostilities.

noun

• attacks
  plural

1. the act of attacking; onslaught; assault.

   Synonyms:

   encounter, onset

   Antonyms:

   defense

2. a military offensive against an enemy or enemy position.

3. Pathology. seizure by disease or illness.

   an attack of indigestion.

4. the beginning or initiating of any action; onset.

5. an aggressive move in a performance or contest.

6. the approach or manner of approach in beginning a musical phrase.

attack British  

/ əˈtæk /

verb

1. to launch a physical assault (against) with or without weapons; begin hostilities (with)

2. (intr) to take the initiative in a game, sport, etc

   after a few minutes, the team began to attack

3. (tr) to direct hostile words or writings at; criticize or abuse vehemently

4. (tr) to turn one's mind or energies vigorously to (a job, problem, etc)

5. (tr) to begin to injure or affect adversely; corrode, corrupt, or infect

   rust attacked the metal

6. (tr) to attempt to rape

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noun

1. the act or an instance of attacking

2. strong criticism or abuse

   an unjustified attack on someone's reputation

3. an offensive move in a game, sport, etc

4. commencement of a task, etc

5. any sudden and usually severe manifestation of a disease or disorder

   a heart attack

   an attack of indigestion

6. ball games the players in a team whose main role is to attack the opponents' goal or territory

7. music decisiveness in beginning a passage, movement, or piece

8. music the speed with which a note reaches its maximum volume

9. an attempted rape

Usage

What is a basic definition of attack? Attack means to attempt to inflict harm with physical violence, to attempt to inflict harm with words, or to initiate a military offensive against another. Attack has many other senses as a verb and a noun. Attack means to engage in physical violence against something with the intent to cause physical harm, damage, or death. Attacking doesn’t have to result in harm, however. For example, a person may be attacked by bees but manage to escape before actually getting stung. Someone or something that attacks is an attacker.

• Real-life examples: A lion will attack with its claws and teeth. In the past, soldiers would attack each other with swords, axes, and other weapons. A scared person may attack a lamp thinking it is a burglar.
• Used in a sentence: Ashley relentlessly attacked the piñata with a broom handle.

Attack can also mean to try to harm someone verbally. In this sense, attack means to assault someone with criticism, insults, or harsh comments. The attempted harm would be to a person’s feelings, opinions, or arguments.

• Real-life examples: Politicians are often attacked by political opponents, critics, or even the media. Unfortunately, many people are often attacked by trolls and harassers on social media. Bad or unpopular ideas are often attacked for being impossible or foolish.
• Used in a sentence: The unpopular director was attacked on social media by fans of the movie franchise.

Attack is also used in both senses as a noun.

• Used in a sentence: I barely survived the alligator’s attack. The company president was outraged by the reporter’s attack on his integrity.

Attack can also mean to initiate acts of war or begin a military offensive. This sense can also be used as a noun.

• Real-life examples: Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. In 1863, General Robert E. Lee attacked the Union army at Gettysburg during the American Civil War. At the Battle of Thermopylae, almost 7,000 Greek soldiers attempted to resist the Persians’ attack.
• Used in a sentence: The United Nations was outraged by the country’s unprovoked attack of its neighbor.

Synonym Usage

Attack, assail, assault, molest all mean to set upon someone forcibly, with hostile or violent intent. Attack is the most general word and applies to a beginning of hostilities, especially those definitely planned: to attack from ambush. Assail implies vehement, sudden, and sometimes repeated attack: to assail with weapons or with gossip. Assault almost always implies bodily violence: to assault with intent to kill. To molest is to harass, to threaten, or to assault: He was safe, and where no one could molest him.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• attacker
  noun
• reattack
  verb
• attackable
  adjective
• attacking
  adjective
• nonattacking
  adjective
• postattack
  adjective
• proattack
  adjective
• unattackable
  adjective
• unattacked
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• attacks
  plural

Participles

• attacking
  present
• attacked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• attack
  simple
• attacks
  simple
• have attacked
  perfect
• has attacked
  perfect
• am attacking
  progressive
• are attacking
  progressive
• is attacking
  progressive
• have been attacking
  perfect progressive
• has been attacking
  perfect progressive

Past

• attacked
  simple
• had attacked
  perfect
• was attacking
  progressive
• were attacking
  progressive
• had been attacking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will attack
  simple
• will have attacked
  perfect
• will be attacking
  progressive
• will have been attacking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of attack

First recorded in 1590–1600; earlier atta(c)que, from Middle French atta(c)quer, from Italian attaccare “to attack”; cf. attach

Explanation

When you attack, you charge or advance violently. It's scary to watch a big dog attack a smaller dog. In the military, an attack is an advance of troops or the use of armed force against an enemy. When one little kid attacks another, there usually aren't any bombs or weapons involved, but the idea of force or hostility is the same. You might also attack an opponent in a game, or withstand a verbal attack from a classmate during a debate. The Italian source of attack is attacco, "an attack," from attaccare, "join battle."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

attack attacks attacked attacking

A drone attack that heavily damaged one of Saudi Arabia’s pipelines is expected to cause crude oil exports to fall by 400,000 barrels per day this month alone.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026

Early on this season, Chelsea were outscoring teams through the individual brilliance of their attack.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

The German physician-scientist Paul Ehrlich, meanwhile, recognized that dyes and related chemicals, because of their binding properties, might selectively attack pathogens.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

The Brazilian striker's absence with a knee injury disrupted new manager Xabi Alonso's previously free-scoring attack, which featured Cole Palmer and club record £117m signing Morgan Rogers.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

An attack on Pearl Harbor is tantamount to a declaration of war.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

It was the first time alerts have been issued in Riyadh since the Houthis increased their attacks and declared a "maritime embargo" on the Saudis in July.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

Although investigators haven’t determined a motive for the arboreal attacks, both residents and law enforcement officers have theorized they may be the work of a homeowner seeking to improve property value.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Oil futures fell 1.6% to $100.30 a barrel as traders awaited Saudi Arabian plans to restore crude exports following attacks on its infrastructure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

In “Let Them Eat Goo,” South Park Elementary decides to replace its cafeteria meat with a plant-based substitute after Cartman suffers two heart attacks.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026

Others suffered nightmares and panic attacks for the rest of their lives, and some shell-shock victims were confined to insane asylums.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

Mr. Amodei said that swarming AI agents like those that attacked Hugging Face could “take over the entire internet” in six to 12 months.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

The line was attacked across both the Riyadh and Madinah regions from drones launched from Iraq, creating more operational challenges versus an isolated strike, Shah said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

The operator did not say how far the officials were from the train attacked.

From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026

Arizona, meanwhile, attacked in waves — blocking a punt in the fourth quarter and taking over three yards from the end zone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

When the British finally attacked the forts, they found them empty.

From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis

Looking at how De Zerbi is trying to work, it is easier to see how many of Tottenham's attacking moves are almost there in terms of creating clearer chances.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

He responded by further attacking the three outlets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

When Spurs' centre-backs are on the ball, opposing midfielders and forwards begin to push up, creating space for Spurs' attacking midfielders between the lines.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Realizing that he was dangerously burned out on the job, he looked to that set of projects for personal renewal, attacking them with the same discipline and drive he had applied to his professional life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Critically for the giant panda—and all the species under its umbrella—the government and the conservationists are collaborating, attacking the many pieces of the habitat puzzle.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh

Related Words

• ambush
• assail
• assault
• beat
• besiege
• blast
• bombard
• charge
• harm
• hit
• hurt
• infiltrate
• invade
• raid
• stab
• storm
• strike