attack
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I. verb
Etymology: Middle French attaquer, from Old Italian *estaccare to attach, from stacca stake, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English staca
Date: 1562
transitive verb
1. to set upon or work against forcefully
2. to assail with unfriendly or bitter words <a speech attacking her political enemies> 3. to begin to affect or to act on injuriously <plants attacked by aphids> 4. to set to work on <attack a problem> 5. to threaten (a piece in chess) with immediate capture intransitive verb to make an attack • attacker noun Synonyms: attack, assail, assault, bombard, storm mean to make an onslaught upon. attack implies taking the initiative in a struggle <plan to attack the town at dawn>. assail implies attempting to break down resistance by repeated blows or shots <assailed the enemy with artillery fire>. assault suggests a direct attempt to overpower by suddenness and violence of onslaught <commandos assaulted the building from all sides>. bombard applies to attacking with bombs or shells <bombarded the city nightly>. storm implies attempting to break into a defended position <preparing to storm the fortress>. II. noun Date: 1655 1. the act of attacking with physical force or unfriendly words ; assault 2. a belligerent or antagonistic action 3. a. a fit of sickness; especially an active episode of a chronic or recurrent disease b. a period of being strongly affected by something (as a desire or mood) 4. 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> 6. the beginning of destructive action (as by a chemical agent) 7. the act or manner of beginning a musical tone or phrase III. adjective Date: 1899 designed, planned, or used for carrying out a military attack <an attack helicopter>
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
Look at other dictionaries:
attack — vb Attack, assail, assault, bombard, storm are comparable not only in their military but also in their extended senses. All carry as their basic meaning to make a more or less violent onset upon. Attack originally connoted a fastening upon… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
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Attack — is a word meaning to strike out at an opponent, among other definitions.It can also refer to: *Angle of attack, a term used in aerodynamics * The Attack (Animorphs), the twenty sixth book in the Animorphs series * Attack! (board game), a 2003… … Wikipedia
Attack No. 1 — アタックNo.1 (Лучшая подача) Жанр спокон, драма … Википедия
Attack No. 1 — アタック No.1 (Atakku No. 1) Género romance, deportes (Voleibol) Manga Creado por Chikako Urano Editorial … Wikipedia Español
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 … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
attack — at·tack n: an attempt to prove something invalid or incorrect esp. through judicial procedures made an attack on the will as not properly witnessed; specif: an attempt to have the judgment of a court corrected or overruled collateral attack: an… … Law dictionary
Attack — «Attack» Сингл 30 Seconds to Mars из альбома A Beautiful Lie … Википедия
Attack — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda «Attack» Sencillo de 30 Seconds to Mars del álbum A Beautiful Lie Publicación … Wikipedia Español
attack — [ə tak′] vt. [Fr attaquer < It attaccare < * estaccare < Goth * stakka, stake: see STICK] 1. to use force against in order to harm; start a fight with; strike out at with physical or military force; assault 2. to speak or write against,… … English World dictionary
attack — [n1] physical assault advance, aggression, assailing, assailment, barrage, blitz, blitzkrieg, charge, defilement, dirty deed*, drive, encounter, encroachment, foray, incursion, initiative, inroad, intervention, intrusion, invasion, irruption,… … New thesaurus
