Definition Definition

attack - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'attack' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Attack [ n.]
- The act of attacking, or falling on with force or violence; an onset; an assault; -- opposed to defense.
- An assault upon one's feelings or reputation with unfriendly or bitter words.
- A setting to work upon some task, etc.
- An access of disease; a fit of sickness.
- The beginning of corrosive, decomposing, or destructive action, by a chemical agent.
2 . Attack [ v. i.]
- To make an onset or attack.
3 . Attack [ v. t.]
- To fall upon with force; to assail, as with force and arms; to assault.
- To assail with unfriendly speech or writing; to begin a controversy with; to attempt to overthrow or bring into disrepute, by criticism or satire; to censure; as, to attack a man, or his opinions, in a pamphlet.
- To set to work upon, as upon a task or problem, or some object of labor or investigation.
- To begin to affect; to begin to act upon, injuriously or destructively; to begin to decompose or waste.

Meaning of 'attack' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . attack [ n]
Meaning (1):
- a sudden occurrence of an uncontrollable condition
Example in sentence:
  • an attack of diarrhea
Meaning (2):
- ideas or actions intended to deal with a problem or situation
Example in sentence:
  • an attack on inflation;
  • his approach to every problem is to draw up a list of pros and cons;
  • his plan of attack was misguided
Meaning (3):
- the act of attacking
Example in sentence:
  • attacks on women increased last year;
  • they made an attempt on his life
Meaning (4):
- intense adverse criticism
Example in sentence:
  • Clinton directed his fire at the Republican Party;
  • don't give me any flak;
  • the government has come under attack
Meaning (5):
- strong criticism
Example in sentence:
  • he published an unexpected attack on my work
Meaning (6):
- the onset of a corrosive or destructive process (as by a chemical agent)
Example in sentence:
  • open to attack by the elements;
  • the film was sensitive to attack by acids
Meaning (7):
- (military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
Example in sentence:
  • the attack began at dawn
Meaning (8):
- an offensive move in a sport or game
Example in sentence:
  • they won the game with a 10-hit attack in the 9th inning
9 . attack [ v]
Meaning (9):
- launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with
Example in sentence:
  • Hitler attacked Poland on September 1, 1939 and started World War II;
  • Serbian forces assailed Bosnian towns all week
Meaning (10):
- set to work upon; turn one's energies vigorously to a task
Example in sentence:
  • I attacked the problem as soon as I got out of bed
Meaning (11):
- attack someone physically or emotionally
Example in sentence:
  • Nightmares assailed him regularly;
  • The mugger assaulted the woman
Meaning (12):
- begin to injure
Example in sentence:
  • Rust is attacking the metal;
  • The cancer cells are attacking his liver
Meaning (13):
- attack in speech or writing
Example in sentence:
  • The editors of the left-leaning paper attacked the new House Speaker
Meaning (14):
- take the initiative and go on the offensive
Example in sentence:
  • The Serbs attacked the village at night;
  • The visiting team started to attack

Nearby Words:

attabal attacca attach attachable attache attached attaching attachment attackable attacked

See 'attack' also in:

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