attacked; attacking; attacks
1
: to set upon or work against forcefully
attack an enemy fortification
2
: to assail with unfriendly or bitter words
a politician verbally attacked by critics
3
: to begin to affect or to act on injuriously
plants attacked by aphids
4
a
: to set to work on
attack a problem
b
: to begin to eat (food) eagerly
At the table he attacked his meal with such singleminded ferocity as to be, as Boswell put it, disgusting to those whose sensations were delicate.—
Donald R. DeGlopper
Donald R. DeGlopper5
chess
: to threaten (a piece) with immediate capture
: to make an attack
They were unprepared when the enemy attacked.
attacker
noun
plural attackers
plural attacks
1
2
: a belligerent or antagonistic action
launched an attack against his political opponents
3
a
: a fit of sickness
especially
: an active episode of a chronic or recurrent disease
an attack of bronchitis
b
: a period of being strongly affected by something (such as a desire or mood)
an attack of the jitters
c
: an aggressive attempt to take or extend a lead over others in a race (such as a bicycle race)
… he crushed his rivals in the first mountain stages by going on relatively long solo attacks.—Samuel Abt
Samuel Abt4
a
: an offensive or scoring action
won the game with an 8-hit attack
b
: offensive players or the positions taken up by them
5
: the setting to work on some undertaking
made a new attack on the problem
a new plan of attack
6
: the beginning of destructive action (as by a chemical agent)
7
music
: the act or manner of beginning a musical tone or phrase
1
: designed, planned, or used for carrying out a military attack
an attack helicopter
2
: expressing or involving aggressively negative and harsh criticism of someone (such as a political opponent)
attack ads
Early in my magazine career, I at times participated in a form of attack journalism that today fills me with remorse—picking a target and sending out a reporter to bring back the scalp.—Daniel Okrent
Daniel Okrent
Phrases
on the attack
: making an attack
The soldiers were on the attack.
—often used in the phrase go on the attack with the meaning "to begin attacking"Last week he challenged Bradley to debate him and went on the attack, accusing his challenger of "disloyalty" to the party …—Matt Bai
Matt Bai
: in the process of being attacked
soldiers under attack
a politician who is under attack from his opponents
—often used in the phrase come under attack with the meaning "to begin being attacked"a theory that has recent come under attack
Synonyms
Examples of attack in a Sentence
Verb
He attacked the guard with a knife.
Troops attacked the fortress at dawn.
The troops attacked at dawn.
People are attacking the mayor for breaking campaign promises.
The professor has been widely attacked for her position on the issue.
Did you see the way the kids attacked that pizza?
Noun
The immune system is the body's defense against attack by germs.
The spray protects plants from attacks by many common pests.
The surprise attack came at dawn.
There is a threat of nuclear attack.
There have been many attacks against the professor for her position on the issue.
The newspaper editorial is an attack on policy-makers.
Adjective
The bombers were in attack formation.
Recent Examples on the Web
Grace Hase, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
An investigation from DePaul University and the Chicago Police Department is underway after two Jewish students who were visibly showing their support for Israel were attacked on the university’s Lincoln Park campus.
—Nbc Chicago, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
Carrie A. Lee, Foreign Affairs, 19 Nov. 2024
Episodes often feature logistically complex armed attacks, guided from afar by the top brass, played by the likes of Kidman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Kelly, Jennifer Ehle, and Bruce McGill.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 18 Nov. 2024
Davey Winder, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2022
Among its findings are that most attackers exhibit indicators of pre-attack behavior.
—Brooke Baitinger, Sun Sentinel, 15 June 2022
See all Example Sentences for attack 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Just two years prior, the NFL team had shelled out more than $1.4 million trying to get Becker elected mayor, and another roughly $1 million attacking Mayor Lisa Gillmor.
—Grace Hase, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
An investigation from DePaul University and the Chicago Police Department is underway after two Jewish students who were visibly showing their support for Israel were attacked on the university’s Lincoln Park campus.
—Nbc Chicago, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
Noun
For the most part, Israel’s response to Hamas’s devastating October 7 attack was confined to the Gaza Strip.
—Carrie A. Lee, Foreign Affairs, 19 Nov. 2024
Episodes often feature logistically complex armed attacks, guided from afar by the top brass, played by the likes of Kidman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Kelly, Jennifer Ehle, and Bruce McGill.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 18 Nov. 2024
Adjective
How common is the multi-attack ransomware threat?
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2022
Among its findings are that most attackers exhibit indicators of pre-attack behavior.
—Brooke Baitinger, Sun Sentinel, 15 June 2022
See all Example Sentences for attack
Dictionary Entries Near attack
Cite this Entry
“Attack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attack. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
attack
1 of 2 verb
at·tack
ə-ˈtak 
1
: to take strong action against
the dog attacked a skunk
2
: to use unfriendly or bitter words against
3
: to begin to cause something harmful or destructive to happen to
attacked by fever
4
: to start work on
attack a problem
attacker
noun
attack
2 of 2 noun1
: the act or action of attacking : assault
2
: a beginning of work on something (as a problem or project)
3
: a spell of sickness
especially
: one of a disease that is long-lasting or that tends to occur over and over again
Medical Definition
attack
1 of 2 transitive verb
at·tack
ə-ˈtak
: to begin to affect or to act on injuriously
tumors attacked the kidneys
attacked by a fever
attack
2 of 2 noun
: a fit of sickness
especially
: an active episode of a chronic or recurrent disease
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