attack

Meaning

Noun

1. An attempt to cause damage, injury to, or death of opponent or enemy.
2. An attempt to detract from the worth or credibility of, a person, position, idea, object, or thing, by physical, verbal, emotional, or other assault.
3. A time in which one attacks; the offence of a battle.
4. (informal) The beginning of active operations on anything.
5. An attempt to exploit a vulnerability in a computer system.
6. Collectively, the bowlers of a cricket side.
7. Any contact with the ball other than a serve or block which sends the ball across the plane of the net.
8. The three attackmen on the field or all the attackmen of a team.
9. The sudden onset of a disease or condition.
10. An active episode of a chronic or recurrent disease.
11. The onset of a musical note, particularly with respect to the strength (and duration) of that onset.
12. The amount of time it takes for the volume of an audio signal to go from zero to maximum level (e.g. an audio waveform representing a snare drum hit would feature a very fast attack, whereas that of a wave washing to shore would feature a slow attack).
13. One of several specific maneuvers, skills, or special abilities that a character can use to inflict damage against opponents.

Verb

1. To apply violent force to someone or something.
2. To aggressively challenge a person, idea, etc., with words (particularly in newspaper headlines, because it typesets into less space than "criticize" or similar).
3. To begin to affect; to act upon injuriously or destructively; to begin to decompose or waste.
4. To deal with something in a direct way; to set to work upon.
5. To aim balls at the batsman’s wicket.
6. To set a field, or bowl in a manner designed to get wickets.
7. To bat aggressively, so as to score runs quickly.
8. To move forward in an active attempt to score a point, as opposed to trying not to concede.
9. To accelerate quickly in an attempt to get ahead of the other riders.
10. (Of a chemical species) To approach a chemical species or bond in order to form a bond with it.

Adj

Designed or kept for the purpose of confrontation.

Concepts

attack

assault

assail

aggression

strike

charge

raid

invade

beat

offensive

fight

onslaught

access

fit

hit

fall upon

invasion

storm

aggress

offence

onset

seizure

offense

criticism

outrage

injure

encounter

advance

criticize

attempt

onrush

fire

stroke

approach

strafe

oppose

ambush

blame

abuse

hurt

besiege

tackle

rush upon

set on

blast

insult

rip

descend

bash

challenge

censure

punish

confront

harass

battle

bombard

rush

catch

fall

flack

flak

eat away

conquer

lash out

affect

rap

thrust

throw oneself at

commit aggression

storming

violation

fall on

stab

kick

belt

whack

club

cudgel

engage

pounce

avenge

defeat

destroy

disdain

rejection

rush on

swoop down on

visitation

molest

encroach

conflict

burst into

intrude

scold

annoy

beset

reproach

bombardment

assult

inroad

lash

foray

sally

siege

bout

injury

tone-beginning

round

plan of attack

corrode

take

whip

bear

affront

shock

blow

bang

paroxysm

rush at

descend on

run amuck

poke

denounce

review

swoop

whang

visit

startle

foray into

lunge

seize

accost

accession

admission

admittance

coming

entrance

entry

charge forward

clobber

clout

slug

tan

thwack

wallop

whomp

start fighting

fly at

leap at

dash against

go at

hit at

pounce upon

block

disagree with

withstand

jump on

leap

drub

flog

thrash

come upon

snap at

criminal act

meet the enemy

hunt down

make an assault

jeer at

do away with

finish off

break onto

wash ashore

take a swing at

waylay

harm

begin battle with

fight hand to hand

infringe

batter

collide

face

fight against

argue

bicker

brawl

quarrel

enter

disturb

vex

assailing

bomb

doing harm

hurting

molestation

beleaguer

infiltrate

get even with

reprimand

blitz

brunt

bear down

counterattack

countermove

berate

reprove

jolt

surprise

touch

catch hold

seize forcibly

falling upon

marching against

march against

beating

smiting

pain

striking

war

going towards

assail with threats

kill

advance towards

go towards

overpower

march

commencement of a combat

lash out b snipe

carp

hatchet job

hurtle

infall

lam into

onfall

oppugn

sic

sick

meet

make an onslaught

struggle

contradict

overcome

win

flay

skin

run at

application

come at

have at

afflict

blackguard

mob

offend

slight

derogation

indignity

invective

mortification

slur

umbrage

ballistic

burst

collision

dash

impact

impinge

impulse

impulsive force

percussion

surging

chemical etching

episode

insultus

disease development

disease incidence

disease rate

incidence

incidence of disease

incidence rate

morbidity

morbidity rate

morbidity ratio

sickness rate

angle of attack

angle of incidence

attack angle

incidence yaw

rigging angle of incidence

go to war

spring at

arrive

come to

get inside

penetrate

trespass

be angry with

get into

forge

play

shoot

spear

spit

pursuit

appear

break out

occur

provoke

provoke each other

stick

animadvert

assess

castigate

criminate

evaluate

fault

find fault

grade

judge

mark

peer review

score

castigation

commentary

diatribe

grading

notice

reflection

lace into

incursion

push back

rollback

shot

box

chop

drive

get hold of

jab

knap

pick up

pull

punch

slog

smite

strike down

strike hard

get down

get to grips

pitch into

corrosion

critique

contest

criticise

flame

lambast

lambaste

scald

engrave

etch

imprint

steel engraving

course of action

set upon

take revenge

faint

pass out

swoon

cut into

explosive charge

nudge

pick at

prod

apoplexy

snipe

mug

pounce on

jump at

threaten

warn

chew

share

operation

be aggressive

go after

ram into

lash out at

smash

snatch

bulldoze

crackdown

tilt

pester

make

buffet

buy

accuse

strike against

flare-up

outbreak

start

slay

rise

uprising

advance against

coup de main

flood out

stick up

suffuse

start something

grasp

grip

hold

follow

defend

defense

break

handle

cut

decide

diminish

ram down

control

cut down

subjugate

Pronounced as (IPA)

/əˈtæk/

Etymology

Borrowed from French attaque, derived from the verb attaquer, from Italian attaccare (“to join, attach”) (used in attaccare battaglia (“to join battle”)), from Frankish *stakka (“stick”). Doublet of attach. Displaced native Old English on rǣsan (“to attack”) and onrǣs (“an attack”).