# attack

Pronunciation: say "uh-TAK" /əˈtæk/

## Noun

1. An aggressive and violent action against an enemy or opponent, or the act of taking the offensive in a fight or battle.
   - Simple: A violent act against an enemy, or the part of a fight where one side tries to hurt the other.
   - _The general planned a surprise attack on the enemy camp._
   - _Coastal villages suffered repeated attacks during the ninth century._
3. A sudden, short period of illness or of a medical condition, such as asthma, migraine, or appendicitis.
   - Simple: A sudden time when an illness starts or gets worse, like an asthma attack.
   - _She suffered an acute attack of appendicitis on the flight home._
   - _Paramedics treated the runner for a suspected heart attack at the finish line._
4. An attempt to undermine the worth or credibility of a person, idea, or position, whether by verbal, emotional, or physical assault.
   - Simple: An attempt to make a person or an idea look bad or wrong.
   - _The senator dismissed the report as a politically motivated attack on her record._
   - _Early attacks on the theory focused on its lack of supporting evidence._
6. An effort to break into or harm a computer system by taking advantage of a weakness in it.
   - Simple: An attempt to break into a computer system or to harm it.
   - _Security analysts traced the attack to a compromised employee laptop._
   - _Phishing attacks often begin with a convincing fake email._
7. In games, any of the specific maneuvers, skills, or special abilities a character can use to inflict damage on opponents.
   - Simple: A move in a game that a character uses to hurt enemies.
   - _The boss's fire attack hits everyone standing in the front row._
   - _Players often chain weaker attacks into combos for extra damage._
12. The beginning of active operations or vigorous work on something. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: The moment when you start working hard on something.
   - _We made our first attack on the overgrown yard that weekend._
   - _Renewed attacks on the manuscript finally produced a finished draft._
13. The way a musical note or sound begins, especially how quickly and strongly it reaches full volume.
   - Simple: How fast and strongly a sound or musical note starts.
   - _Pianists shape the attack of each chord with finger speed and arm weight._
   - _A bowed note can have a gentle attack, unlike a plucked one._
15. In volleyball, any action that directs the ball toward the opponents, other than a serve or a block.
   - Simple: In volleyball, a hit that sends the ball over the net, but not a serve or a block.
   - _The setter's quick attack caught the defense completely off guard._
   - _Even a gentle tip over the blockers counts as an attack in the official statistics._
18. The players in a team whose main role is to attack or score, such as the forwards in soccer, the attackmen in lacrosse, or the bowlers in cricket.
   - Simple: The players in a team whose job is to attack and try to score, or in cricket, the bowlers.
   - _England's attack struggled on the flat, slow pitch._
   - _Injuries to both opening bowlers weakened the attack considerably._

## Verb

2. To apply violent force to a person, animal, or thing.
   - Simple: To use violence to hurt a person or to damage a thing.
   - _Rebel forces attacked the convoy as it crossed the bridge._
   - _Sharks rarely attack swimmers without being provoked._
5. To aggressively challenge or criticize a person, idea, or proposal with words.
   - Simple: To use strong words against a person or an idea.
   - _Opposition leaders attacked the budget as reckless and shortsighted._
   - _Columnists regularly attack policies they consider wasteful._
8. To deal with a task or problem directly and energetically; to set to work on it vigorously.
   - Simple: To start working on a job or problem with energy.
   - _The new manager attacked the backlog with impressive efficiency._
   - _We need to attack these expenses before the end of the quarter._
9. To begin to affect something injuriously or destructively, causing it to decay or waste away.
   - Simple: To start to slowly damage or destroy something.
   - _Salt air attacked the bridge's steel supports within a decade._
   - _Certain enzymes attack the proteins that hold cell walls together._
10. In soccer, to move forward in an active attempt to score, as opposed to focusing on not conceding.
   - Simple: In soccer, to move forward and try to score instead of just defending.
   - _Trailing by a goal, the coach told his players to attack._
   - _United attacked down both wings, stretching the defense thin._
14. Of a cyclist, to make a sudden burst of acceleration aimed at breaking clear of the other riders.
   - Simple: In bike racing, to speed up suddenly to try to get away from the other riders.
   - _Climbers often attack on the steepest sections, where heavier riders struggle._
   - _She attacked from the breakaway with ten kilometers to go._
16. In cricket, to bat aggressively in order to score runs quickly.
   - Simple: In cricket, to bat boldly and try to score as quickly as possible.
   - _Openers who attack early can demoralize a bowling side._
   - _She attacked throughout the final overs, scoring at nearly two runs a ball._
17. In cricket, to bowl or set the field aggressively in order to take wickets.
   - Simple: In cricket, to bowl in a way that tries hard to get batters out.
   - _On a turning pitch, spinners attack the stumps relentlessly._
   - _She attacked the wicket all morning and was rewarded with three bowled dismissals._

## Adjective

11. Designed, trained, or kept for the purpose of confrontation or aggression.
   - Simple: Made, trained, or kept ready for fighting against others.
   - _The navy ordered three new attack submarines last year._
   - _Voters grew tired of the attack ads that filled the airwaves before the election._

## Other meanings

- (verb) Of an atom, ion, or molecule, to close in on another species or one of its bonds and begin forming a new bond with it.
- (noun) The initial sensory impact of a wine in the first moments of tasting.

## Origin

English borrowed this from French attaque, from the verb attaquer, which came from Italian attaccare ("to join, attach," as in attaccare battaglia, "to join battle"), ultimately from Frankish *stakkijan ("to stick, attach"). It is a doublet of attach and replaced the native Middle English onresen, from Old English onrǣsan ("to attack").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/attack (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).