aggress
[ uh-gres ]
/ əˈgrɛs /
verb (used without object)
to commit the first act of hostility or offense; attack first.
to begin to quarrel.
verb (used with object)
to behave aggressively toward; attack (often followed by upon): wild animals aggressing their prey.
Nearby words
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for aggress
They experience boredom, sickness, early deaths and they aggress, attacking and even killing human beings.
‘Blackfish’ Director: Killer Whales Don’t Belong in Captivity|Gabriela Cowperthwaite|October 24, 2013|DAILY BEASTIf the body do not aggress, the spirit will not seek revenge.
British Dictionary definitions for aggress
aggress
/ (əˈɡrɛs) /
verb
(intr) to attack first or begin a quarrel
Word Origin for aggress
C16: from Medieval Latin aggressāre to attack, from Latin aggredī to attack, approach
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for aggress
aggress
"attack," 1714, back-formation from aggression, but used earlier with a sense of "approach" (1570s) and in this sense from French aggresser, from Late Latin aggressare, frequentative of Latin aggredi "to approach, attack." Related: Aggressed; aggressing.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper