aggressor

American  

[uh-gres-er] / əˈgrɛs ər /

noun

1. a person, group, or nation that attacks first or initiates hostilities; an assailant or invader.

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Etymology

Origin of aggressor

1670–80; < Late Latin, Latin aggred- (stem of aggredī to attack; aggress ) + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

He travels through his territory in a small convoy of armored vehicles with a team equipped to fight off aggressors until reinforcements arrive.

From The Wall Street Journal

He hit Rashid for two fours and a six in his second over and was the aggressor in a partnership of 71 with Tom Bruce.

From BBC

“We have to make sure that we in Germany are not vulnerable, that we can’t be attacked and that a possible aggressor knows an attack isn’t worth it.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Within it, Briggs describes concrete strategies that military aggressors employ to destabilize their opponents, but the indirect impacts achieve the same as the direct.

From Salon

Although government officials have claimed that Good and Pretti were both aggressors in their altercations, footage captured by bystanders appeared to contradict those claims.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• assailant
• intruder
• invader
• trespasser