attack
[verb]
Synonyms:
- assault, invade, lay into (informal), raid, set upon, storm, strike (at)
- criticize, abuse, blame, censure, have a go (at) (informal), put down, vilify
[noun]
Synonyms:
- assault, campaign, charge, foray, incursion, invasion, offensive, onslaught, raid, strike
- criticism, abuse, blame, censure, denigration, stick (slang), vilification
- bout, convulsion, fit, paroxysm, seizure, spasm, stroke

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Antonyms: defense
Contrasted words: defend, guard, protect, shield, combat, oppose, resist, withstand, dawdle, lag, poke, putter, championing, justification, protection, support, vindication, opposition, resistance, defending, guarding, protecting, sheltering, submissiveness, yielding
Related Idioms: gang up on, light into, sail into, set upon, take the offensive, address (or apply or devote) oneself to, give oneself up to
Related Words: invade, irrupt, charge, raid, rush, besiege, blockade, encompass, invest, beleaguer, beset, harass, harry, press, turn (on), buckle (to or down or down to), fall to, pitch in, wade (in or into), descent, drive, foray, push, sally, sortie, blitz, incursion, inroad, surprise, action, battle, bellicosity, chauvinism, jingoism, warmongering, activation, militarization, mobilization, muster, outbreak, paroxysm, spasm, affection, ailment, complaint, disease, disorder

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English Thesaurus: attack, ambush, mug, stab, assault, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. at‧tack¹ S2 W2 /əˈtæk/ noun
[Word Family: noun: attack, counterattack, attacker; verb: attack, counterattack; adjective: attacking, counterattacking]

1. VIOLENCE AGAINST SOMEBODY/SOMETHING [countable] an act of violence that is intended to hurt a person or damage a place
attack on
There have been several attacks on foreigners recently.
a bomb attack
a knife attack
an arson attack (=an attempt to destroy a building using fire)
victims of racial attacks

2. IN A WAR [uncountable and countable] the act of using weapons against an enemy in a war:
The attack began at dawn.
attack on
the attack on Pearl Harbor
be/come under attack
Once again we came under attack from enemy fighter planes.
Rebel forces launched (=started) an attack late Sunday night.
air/missile/nuclear etc attack
the threat of nuclear attack

3. CRITICISM [uncountable and countable] a strong and direct criticism of someone or something
attack on
The magazine recently published a vicious personal attack on the novelist.
be/come under attack (=be strongly criticized)
The company has come under fierce attack for its decision to close the factory.
go on the attack (=start to criticize someone severely)

4. ILLNESS [countable] a sudden short period of suffering from an illness, especially an illness that you have often
attack of
I had a bad attack of flu at Christmas.
He died after suffering a severe asthma attack. ⇒ heart attack

5. EMOTION [countable] a short period of time when you suddenly feel extremely frightened or worried and cannot think normally or deal with the situation
panic/anxiety attack
Her heart began to pound frantically, as if she were having a panic attack.
attack of
a sudden attack of nerves

6. ATTEMPT TO STOP SOMETHING [uncountable and countable] actions that are intended to get rid of or stop something such as a system, a set of laws etc
attack on
The new measures were seen by many as an attack on the Scottish way of life.

7. SPORT
a) [uncountable and countable] an attempt by a player or group of players to score goals or win points
b) British English [singular] the players in a team that are responsible for trying to score goals or win points Synonym : offense American English ⇒ defence
in attack
Heath will play alongside Smith in attack.

8. DAMAGE [uncountable and countable] when something such as a disease, insect, or chemical damages something:
Unfortunately, the carved ceilings have suffered woodworm attack over the years.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. attack² S3 W2 verb
[Word Family: noun: attack, counterattack, attacker; verb: attack, counterattack; adjective: attacking, counterattacking]
[Date: 1600-1700; Language: French; Origin: attaquer, from Old Italian attaccare 'to attach', from stacca 'sharp post']

1. USE VIOLENCE [intransitive and transitive] to deliberately use violence to hurt a person or damage a place:
She was attacked while walking home late at night.
His shop was attacked by a gang of youths.
Snakes will only attack if you disturb them.
attack somebody/something with something
He needed 200 stitches after being attacked with a broken bottle.

2. IN A WAR [intransitive and transitive] to start using guns, bombs etc against an enemy in a war:
Army tanks attacked a village near the capital on Sunday.

3. CRITICIZE [transitive] to criticize someone or something very strongly:
Last year Dr Travis publicly attacked the idea that abortion should be available on demand.
attack somebody for (doing) something
Newspapers attacked the government for failing to cut taxes.
strongly/bitterly/savagely etc attack somebody/something

4. DAMAGE [transitive] if something such as a disease, insect, or chemical attacks something, it damages it:
a cruel disease that attacks the brain and nervous system

5. BEGIN DOING [transitive] to begin to do something in a determined and eager way:
She immediately set about attacking the problem.
Martin attacked his meal (=started eating) with vigour.

6. SPORT [intransitive and transitive] to move forward and try to score goals or win points ⇒ defend:
Brazil began to attack more in the second half of the match.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

attack
noun
I. violence against sb
ADJ. brutal, frenzied, horrific, savage, serious, vicious, violent | unprovoked | racist, sexual | arson, gun, knife an increase in knife attacks on police officers
QUANT. series, spate, wave
VERB + ATTACK carry out Two teenagers carried out a frenzied attack on a local shopkeeper.
be subjected to He was subjected to a violent attack.
ATTACK + VERB happen, occur, take place Where did the attack happen?
PREP. ~ against vicious attacks against pensioners
~ by an attack by an armed gang
~ on an attack on a bus driver
PHRASES a victim of an attack

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

attack
II. act of violence in war
ADJ. all-out, full-scale, major | sustained | surprise | retaliatory | mock | flank, frontal | enemy, guerrilla, terrorist | air, bomb, missile, mortar, nuclear
QUANT. series The southern border towns have suffered a series of attacks.
VERB + ATTACK carry out, launch, lead, make, mount, spearhead The soldiers mounted an all-out attack on the village.
come under, suffer They came under sustained attack from the air.
repel, repulse, resist | survive, withstand Most of the population would stand little chance of surviving a nuclear attack.
press home, renew Bombers pressed home their attack, causing severe damage to harbour installations.
ATTACK + VERB happen, occur, take place The attack took place under cover of darkness.
fail, succeed
PREP. under ~ The province has been under attack from the rebels.
~ against attacks against civilians
~ by an attack by rebel forces
~ on an attack on enemy positions

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

attack
III. criticism
ADJ. bitter, blistering, fierce, outspoken, savage, scathing, scurrilous, stinging, vigorous | personal Is this a personal attack on the president, or a criticism of the government?
concerted | verbal
VERB + ATTACK deliver, go on the, launch, make, mount, unleash Doctors have gone on the attack, accusing the government of incompetence.
come under, provoke All politicians come under attack for their views. The government's decision has provoked an attack from leaders of the health service.
PREP. ~ on/upon an attack on my integrity
PHRASES a/the line of attack The first line of attack is often name-calling.
open to attack He has laid himself wide open to attack.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

attack
IV. sudden illness
ADJ. acute, sudden | bad, nasty, severe | fatal | mild, slight | recurrent | asthma, heart, panic a fatal heart attack
VERB + ATTACK experience, have, suffer (from) He suffers from attacks of anxiety.
bring on, cause, trigger a heart attack brought on by stress
ATTACK + VERB happen, occur, take place
PREP. ~ of a sudden attack of nerves

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

attack
verb
I. use violence
ADV. brutally, savagely, viciously, violently She was brutally attacked by two men.
physically
PREP. with He attacked her with a knife.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

attack
II. criticize
ADV. fiercely, savagely, sharply, strongly, vigorously
PREP. for The police have been strongly attacked for not taking immediate action.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

attack

a bomb attack (=usually intended to achieve a political aim)
Animal rights activists are believed to have carried out the bomb attack.
a terrorist attack
The accused men went on trial Monday for America’s worst-ever terrorist attack.
a knife/gun attack
He was sentenced to nine years in prison for the knife attack.
an arson attack (=intended to destroy a building by burning it)
Ten classrooms were completely destroyed in the arson attack.
a violent/vicious/brutal attack
Police described it as an extremely violent attack.
a horrific attack
'This was a horrific attack,' said Detective Chief Superintendent Ron Astles.
a frenzied attack (=very violent and uncontrolled)
The woman was stabbed to death in a frenzied attack at her home.
a racial attack
Staffordshire police are treating the incident as a racial attack.
a sexual attack
There was no indication of a sexual attack.
an unprovoked attack (=in which the victim did nothing to cause the attack)
Their teenage son was knocked to the ground, kicked and punched in an unprovoked attack.
a motiveless attack (=that happens for no reason)
He was stabbed to death in an apparently motiveless attack.
carry out an attack
The man who carried out the attack has been described as white and 25 to 32 years old.
an attack happens/takes place (also an attack occurs formal)
The attack took place at around 10 pm Thursday.
a series/spate/wave of attacks (=a number of attacks in a row)
The killing follows a series of brutal attacks on tourists.
the victim of an attack
She was the victim of an attack in her own home.
a nuclear attack
They would not risk a nuclear attack on the United States.
an all-out attack (=that is done with a lot of determination)
General Smith was in favour of an all-out attack on the enemy.
a full-scale attack (=that uses all the available soldiers and weapons)
German troops launched a full-scale attack on the city.
an armed attack
Armed attacks against Israeli settlements are on the increase.
a surprise attack
We launched a surprise attack on their camp just before dawn.
a missile/rocket/mortar attack
There were 15 dead and 20 wounded in a missile attack on the capital.
an air/bomb attack (=an attack from a plane using bombs)
Malta was under heavy air attack.
launch an attack
In April the French army launched an attack.
lead/mount an attack
The King now prepared to mount an attack on Granada.
come under attack
Camps in the south came under attack from pro-government forces.
be under attack
He arrived when the base was under attack from mortar and small arms fire.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

attack to use violence against someone and try to hurt them:
She was attacked by a man with a baseball bat.
Police dogs are trained to attack.
ambush /ˈæmbʊʃ/ if a group of people ambush someone, they hide and wait for them and then attack them:
The judge was ambushed by gunmen as he drove to work at the courthouse.
mug to attack someone and take money from them in a public place such as a street:
He was mugged on his way home from school.
stab to attack someone with a knife:
The victim had been stabbed in the neck.
assault to attack and hurt someone – used especially when talking about this as a criminal offence:
He assaulted a flight attendant who refused to serve him more drinks.
be set upon by somebody/something written to be attacked by a group of people:
He died outside his home after being set upon by a gang of youths.
turn on to suddenly change your behaviour and attack the person you are with, when they do not expect this:
The dog suddenly turned on him, sinking its teeth into his arm.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

attack to use weapons to try to damage or take control of a place:
The village was attacked by enemy warplanes.
We will attack at dawn.
invade to enter a country and try to get control of it using force:
The Romans invaded Britain 2,000 years ago.
storm to suddenly attack a city or building that is well defended by getting inside it and taking control:
Elite troops stormed the building and rescued the hostages.
besiege /bɪˈsiːdʒ/ to surround a city or building with soldiers in order to stop the people inside from getting out or from receiving supplies:
In April 655, Osman’s palace was besieged by rebels.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

attack noun [uncountable and countable] an act of using weapons against an enemy in a war:
The US was threatening to launch an attack on Iran.
The men had been carrying out rocket attacks on British forces.
Bombs have been falling throughout the night, and the city is still under attack (=being attacked).
invasion noun [uncountable and countable] an occasion when an army enters a country and tries to take control of it:
The Allies began their invasion of Europe.
The threat of foreign invasion is very real.
raid noun [countable] a short attack on a place by soldiers or planes, intended to cause damage but not take control:
an air raid
NATO warplanes carried out a series of bombing raids on the city.
The village has been the target of frequent raids by rebel groups.
strike noun [countable] a sudden military attack, especially after a serious disagreement:
Senior Israeli officials warned that they were still considering a military strike.
the possibility of a nuclear strike
assault noun [countable] a military attack intended to take control of a city, area, or building controlled by an enemy:
The final military assault on Kwangju began at 3 am on May 27.
Hitler launched an all-out assault (=using as many soldiers, weapons, planes etc as possible) on Russia.
ambush noun [uncountable and countable] a sudden attack by people who have been waiting and hiding, especially an attack on a vehicle or people who are travelling somewhere:
Five soldiers were shot in the back and killled in the ambush.
Enemy forces waiting in ambush opened fire on the vehicle.
counterattack noun [uncountable and countable] a military attack made in response to an attack by an enemy:
Government forces launched a counterattack against the guerillas.
If they successfully occupied the city, they would need to be capable of defending it against enemy counterattack.
onslaught noun [countable] formal a large violent attack by an army:
In 1544 there was a full-scale onslaught on France, in which the English took Boulogne.
The troops were preparing for another onslaught against the enemy.
mug to attack someone and take money from them in a public place such as a street:
He was mugged on his way home from school.
stab to attack someone with a knife:
The victim had been stabbed in the neck.
be set upon by somebody/something written to be attacked by a group of people:
He died outside his home after being set upon by a gang of youths.
turn on to suddenly change your behaviour and attack the person you are with, when they do not expect this:
The dog suddenly turned on him, sinking its teeth into his arm.
invade to enter a country and try to get control of it using force:
The Romans invaded Britain 2,000 years ago.
storm to suddenly attack a city or building that is well defended by getting inside it and taking control:
Elite troops stormed the building and rescued the hostages.
besiege /bɪˈsiːdʒ/ to surround a city or building with soldiers in order to stop the people inside from getting out or from receiving supplies:
In April 655, Osman’s palace was besieged by rebels.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

criticize to say what you think is bad about someone or something:
He was criticized for not being tough enough with the terrorists.
Stop criticizing my friends!
It’s easy to criticize, but not so easy to offer helpful solutions.
be critical of somebody/something to criticize someone or something, especially by giving detailed reasons for this:
The report was highly critical of the police investigation.
The press have been critical of his leadership style.
attack to criticize someone or something very strongly, especially publicly in the newspapers, on TV etc:
They attacked the government’s decision to undertake nuclear weapons tests.
lay into somebody/tear into somebody to criticize someone very strongly for something they have done, especially by shouting at them:
He started laying into one of his staff for being late.
tear somebody/something to shreds to find a lot of things wrong with someone’s arguments or ideas and make them seem very weak:
The prosecution will tear him to shreds.
pan to strongly criticize a film, play etc in the newspapers, on TV etc:
Her first movie was panned by the critics.
be pilloried especially written to be strongly criticized by a lot of people in the newspapers, on TV etc:
He was pilloried in the right-wing press.
condemn to say very strongly in public that you do not approve of something or someone, especially because you think they are morally wrong:
Politicians were quick to condemn the bombing.
find fault with somebody/something to criticize things that you think are wrong with something, especially small and unimportant things:
He’s quick to find fault with other people’s work.
pick holes in something informal to criticize something by finding many small faults in it, in a way that seems unreasonable and unfair:
Why are you always picking holes in my work?
knock to criticize someone or something, in an unfair and unreasonable way:
I know it’s fashionable to knock Tony Blair, but I think he did a good job.
slag off British English informal to criticize someone in an unfair and unpleasant way:
He’s always slagging you off behind your back.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

storm a period of very bad weather when there is a lot of rain or snow, strong winds, and often lightning:
The ship sank in a violent storm.
They got caught in a storm on top of the mountain.
The storm hit the coast of Florida on Tuesday.
The cost of repairing storm damage will run into millions of pounds.
thunderstorm a storm in which there is a lot of thunder (=loud noise in the sky) and lightning (=flashes of light in the sky):
When I was young i was terrified of thunderstorms.
hurricane a storm that has very strong fast winds and that moves over water – used about storms in the North Atlantic Ocean:
Hurricane Katrina battered the US Gulf Coast.
the hurricane season
typhoon a very violent tropical storm – used about storms in the Western Pacific Ocean:
A powerful typhoon hit southern China today.
Weather experts are monitoring typhoons in Hong Kong and China.
cyclone a severe storm affecting a large area, in which the wind moves around in a big circle:
Thousands of people died when a tropical cyclone hit Bangladesh.
Cyclone ‘Joy’ inflicted damage estimated at $40 million, with winds of up to 145 miles per hour.
tornado (also twister American English informal) an extremely violent storm that consists of air that spins very quickly and causes a lot of damage:
The tornado ripped the roof off his house.
For the second time in a week deadly tornadoes have torn through Tennessee.
snowstorm a storm with strong winds and a lot of snow:
A major snowstorm blew across Colorado.
blizzard a severe snowstorm in which the snow is blown around by strong winds, making it difficult to see anything:
We got stuck in a blizzard.
Denver is bracing itself for blizzard conditions.
attack to use weapons to try to damage or take control of a place:
The village was attacked by enemy warplanes.
We will attack at dawn.
invade to enter a country and try to get control of it using force:
The Romans invaded Britain 2,000 years ago.
besiege /bɪˈsiːdʒ/ to surround a city or building with soldiers in order to stop the people inside from getting out or from receiving supplies:
In April 655, Osman’s palace was besieged by rebels.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲