attack

[At*tackĀ·]

When you attack, you charge or advance violently. It's scary to watch a big dog attack a smaller dog.

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To fall upon with force; to assail, as with force and arms; to assault.

Noun
a decisive manner of beginning a musical tone or phrase

Noun
an offensive move in a sport or game; "they won the game with a 10-hit attack in the 9th inning"

Noun
the act of attacking; "attacks on women increased last year"; "they made an attempt on his life"

Noun
ideas or actions intended to deal with a problem or situation; "his approach to every problem is to draw up a list of pros and cons"; "an attack on inflation"; "his plan of attack was misguided"

Noun
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons); "the attack began at dawn"

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Noun
strong criticism; "he published an unexpected attack on my work"

Noun
intense adverse criticism; "Clinton directed his fire at the Republican Party"; "the government has come under attack"; "don''t give me any flak"

Noun
the onset of a corrosive or destructive process (as by a chemical agent); "the film was sensitive to attack by acids"; "open to attack by the elements"

Noun
a sudden occurrence of an uncontrollable condition; "an attack of diarrhea"

Verb
begin to injure; "The cancer cells are attacking his liver"; "Rust is attacking the metal"

Verb
set to work upon; turn one''s energies vigorously to a task; "I attacked the problem as soon as I got out of bed"

Verb
attack in speech or writing; "The editors of the left-leaning paper attacked the new House Speaker"

Verb
take the initiative and go on the offensive; "The Serbs attacked the village at night"; "The visiting team started to attack"

Verb
launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with; "Hitler attacked Poland on September 1, 1939 and started World War II"; "Serbian forces assailed Bosnian towns all week"

Verb
attack someone physically or emotionally; "The mugger assaulted the woman"; "Nightmares assailed him regularly"


v. t.
To fall upon with force; to assail, as with force and arms; to assault.

v. t.
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.

v. t.
To set to work upon, as upon a task or problem, or some object of labor or investigation.

v. t.
To begin to affect; to begin to act upon, injuriously or destructively; to begin to decompose or waste.

v. i.
To make an onset or attack.

n.
The act of attacking, or falling on with force or violence; an onset; an assault; -- opposed to defense.

n.
An assault upon one's feelings or reputation with unfriendly or bitter words.

n.
A setting to work upon some task, etc.

n.
An access of disease; a fit of sickness.

n.
The beginning of corrosive, decomposing, or destructive action, by a chemical agent.


Attack

At*tack" , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Attacked ; p. pr. & vb. n. Attacking.] [F. attaquer, orig. another form of attacher to attack: cf. It. attacare to fasten, attack. See Attach, Tack a small nail.] 1. To fall upon with force; to assail, as with force and arms; to assault. "Attack their lines." Dryden. 2. 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. 3. To set to work upon, as upon a task or problem, or some object of labor or investigation. 4. To begin to affect; to begin to act upon, injuriously or destructively; to begin to decompose or waste.
On the fourth of March he was attacked by fever.
Hydrofluoric acid . . . attacks the glass.
Syn. -- To Attack, Assail, Assault, Invade. These words all denote a violent onset; attack being the generic term, and the others specific forms of attack. To attack is to commence the onset; to assail is to make a sudden and violent attack, or to make repeated attacks; to assault (literally, to leap upon) is to attack physically by a had-to-hand approach or by unlawful and insulting violence; to invade is to enter by force on what belongs to another. Thus, a person may attack by offering violence of any kind; he may assail by means of missile weapons; he may assault by direct personal violence; a king may invade by marching an army into a country. Figuratively, we may say, men attack with argument or satire; they assail with abuse or reproaches; they may be assaulted by severe temptations; the rights of the people may be invaded by the encroachments of the crown.

Attack

At*tack", v. i. To make an onset or attack.

Attack

At*tack", n. [Cf. F. attaque.] 1. The act of attacking, or falling on with force or violence; an onset; an assault; -- opposed to defense. 2. An assault upon one's feelings or reputation with unfriendly or bitter words. 3. A setting to work upon some task, etc. 4. An access of disease; a fit of sickness. 5. The beginning of corrosive, decomposing, or destructive action, by a chemical agent.

To fall upon with force; to assail, as with force and arms; to assault.

To make an onset or attack.

The act of attacking, or falling on with force or violence; an onset; an assault; -- opposed to defense.

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Usage Examples

Dad almost died of a heart attack in the middle of making Apocalypse Now, the biggest movie of his life. It doesn't make you want to jump into that business.

Hope and change? We're not doing that anymore. They're doing attack and blame. And so, I just think people are going to see through this. They want real leadership. They want us to get this country on the right track.

Cubism was an attack on the perspective that had been known and used for 500 years. It was the first big, big change. It confused people: they said, 'Things don't look like that!'

Education is a crutch with which the foolish attack the wise to prove that they are not idiots.

As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it.

Fear attracts attack.

Freedom of speech is always under attack by Fascist mentality, which exists in all parts of the world, unfortunately.

Misspelled Form

attack, qattack, wattack, sattack, zattack, qttack, wttack, sttack, zttack, aqttack, awttack, asttack, azttack, arttack, a5ttack, a6ttack, ayttack, agttack, artack, a5tack, a6tack, aytack, agtack, atrtack, at5tack, at6tack, atytack, atgtack, atrtack, at5tack, at6tack, atytack, atgtack, atrack, at5ack, at6ack, atyack, atgack, attrack, att5ack, att6ack, attyack, attgack, attqack, attwack, attsack, attzack, attqck, attwck, attsck, attzck, attaqck, attawck, attasck, attazck, attaxck, attadck, attafck, attavck, atta ck, attaxk, attadk, attafk, attavk, atta k, attacxk, attacdk, attacfk, attacvk, attac k, attacjk, attacik, attacok, attaclk, attacmk, attacj, attaci, attaco, attacl, attacm, attackj, attacki, attacko, attackl, attackm.

Other Usage Examples

Here at home, when Americans were standing in long lines to give blood after the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, we squandered an obvious opportunity to make service a noble cause again, and rekindle an American spirit of community.

By providing outstanding economic leadership, this country can wage its attack successfully - and can thereby build the foundations of a peaceful world.

At an unprecedented time with the worst attack ever on our soil, our President displayed extraordinary determination, leadership and resolve when history was thrust upon him and the United States.

Charge forward with hope and get the best medical advice you can. Talk to your friends, neighbors, family, and together you attack it. We can't always control what happens to us, but we can always control how we react to it.

I am one of those scientists who feels that it is no longer enough just to get on and do science. We have to devote a significant proportion of our time and resources to defending it from deliberate attack from organised ignorance.

Human rights commissions, as they are evolving, are an attack on our fundamental freedoms and the basic existence of a democratic society... It is in fact totalitarianism. I find this is very scary stuff.

I believe society has a right to defend itself, just as the individual has the right to attack that with which he disagrees.

A man who says that no patriot should attack the war until it is over... is saying no good son should warn his mother of a cliff until she has fallen.

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