to set upon in a forceful, violent, hostile, or aggressive way, with or without a weapon; begin fighting with: He attacked him with his bare hands.
2.
to begin hostilities against; start an offensive against: to attack the enemy.
3.
to blame or abuse violently or bitterly.
4.
to direct unfavorable criticism against; criticize severely; argue with strongly: He attacked his opponent's statement.
5.
to try to destroy, esp. with verbal abuse: to attack the mayor's reputation.
6.
to set about (a task) or go to work on (a thing) vigorously: to attack housecleaning; to attack the hamburger hungrily.
7.
(of disease, destructive agencies, etc.) to begin to affect.
–verb (used without object)
8.
to make an attack; begin hostilities.
–noun
9.
the act of attacking; onslaught; assault.
10.
a military offensive against an enemy or enemy position.
11.
Pathology. seizure by disease or illness: an attack of indigestion.
12.
the beginning or initiating of any action; onset.
13.
an aggressive move in a performance or contest.
14.
the approach or manner of approach in beginning a musical phrase.
[Origin: 1590–1600; earlier atta(c)que < MF atta(c)quer < It attaccare to attack, attach]
—Related forms
at·tack·a·ble, adjective
at·tack·er, noun
—Synonyms 1. storm, charge. Attack,assail,assault,molest all mean to set upon someone forcibly, with hostile or violent intent. Attack is the most general word and applies to a beginning of hostilities, esp. those definitely planned: to attack from ambush. Assail implies vehement, sudden, and sometimes repeated attack: to assail with weapons or with gossip. Assault almost always implies bodily violence: to assault with intent to kill. To molest is to harass, to threaten, or to assault: He was safe, and where no one could molest him. 4. censure; impugn, oppugn, abuse. 9. onset, encounter.
To start work on with purpose and vigor: attack a problem.
To begin to affect harmfully: a disease that attacks the central nervous system.
v.
intr.
To make an attack; launch an assault: The enemy attacked during the night.
n.
The act or an instance of attacking; an assault.
An expression of strong criticism; hostile comment: vicious attacks in all the newspapers.
Sports
An offensive action in a sport or game.
The players executing such an action.
The initial movement in a task or undertaking: made an optimistic attack on the pile of paperwork.
A method or procedure: Our attack on this project will have two phases.
Music The beginning or manner of beginning a piece, passage, or tone.
Decisiveness and clarity in artistic expression: a careful performance, but one lacking the rigorous attack the work demands.
The initial movement in a task or undertaking: made an optimistic attack on the pile of paperwork.
A method or procedure: Our attack on this project will have two phases.
Music The beginning or manner of beginning a piece, passage, or tone.
Decisiveness and clarity in artistic expression: a careful performance, but one lacking the rigorous attack the work demands.
An episode or onset of a disease, especially an occurrence of a chronic disease: an asthma attack.
The experience or beginning of a feeling, need, or desire: an attack of hunger; an attack of melancholy.
Music The beginning or manner of beginning a piece, passage, or tone.
Decisiveness and clarity in artistic expression: a careful performance, but one lacking the rigorous attack the work demands.
[French attaquer, from Old French, from Old Italian *estaccare, of Germanic origin.]
at·tack'er n.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to set upon, physically or figuratively. Attack applies to offensive action, especially to the onset of planned aggression: The commandos attacked the outpost at dawn. Bombard suggests showering with bombs or shells (The warplanes bombarded the town) or with words (The celebrity was bombarded with invitations). Assail implies repeated attacks: Critics assailed the author's second novel. Storm refers to a sudden, sweeping attempt to achieve a victory: "After triumphantly storming the country, [the President] is obliged to storm Capitol Hill" (The Economist).
Assault usually implies sudden, intense violence: Muggers often assault their victims on dark streets. Beset suggests beleaguerment from all sides: The fox was beset by hunters and hounds.
1600, from Fr. attaquer (16c.), from Florentine attaccare (battaglia) "join (battle)," thus the word is a doublet of attach, which was also used 15c.-17c. in the sense now reserved to attack.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons); "the attack began at dawn"
2.
an offensive move in a sport or game; "they won the game with a 10-hit attack in the 9th inning"
3.
intense adverse criticism; "Clinton directed his fire at the Republican Party"; "the government has come under attack"; "don't give me any flak" [syn: fire]
4.
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" [syn: approach]
5.
the act of attacking; "attacks on women increased last year"; "they made an attempt on his life"
6.
a decisive manner of beginning a musical tone or phrase
7.
a sudden occurrence of an uncontrollable condition; "an attack of diarrhea"
8.
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"
9.
strong criticism; "he published an unexpected attack on my work"
verb
1.
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" [ant: defend]
2.
attack in speech or writing; "The editors of the left-leaning paper attacked the new House Speaker"
3.
take the initiative and go on the offensive; "The Serbs attacked the village at night"; "The visiting team started to attack"
4.
attack someone physically or emotionally; "The mugger assaulted the woman"; "Nightmares assailed him regularly" [syn: assail]
5.
set to work upon; turn one's energies vigorously to a task; "I attacked the problem as soon as I got out of bed"
6.
begin to injure; "The cancer cells are attacking his liver"; "Rust is attacking the metal"
As*sail"\ ([a^]s*s[=a]l"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Assailed (-s[=a]ld"); p. pr. & vb. n. Assailing.] [OE. assailen, asailen, OF. asaillir, assailler, F. assaillir; a (L. ad) + saillir to burst out, project, fr. L. salire to leap, spring; cf. L. assilire to leap or spring upon. See Sally.]1. To attack with violence, or in a vehement and hostile manner; to assault; to molest; as, to assail a man with blows; to assail a city with artillery. No rude noise mine ears assailing. --Cowper. No storm can now assail The charm he wears within. --Keble. 2. To encounter or meet purposely with the view of mastering, as an obstacle, difficulty, or the like. The thorny wilds the woodmen fierce assail. --Pope. 3. To attack morally, or with a view to produce changes in the feelings, character, conduct, existing usages, institutions; to attack by words, hostile influence, etc.; as, to assail one with appeals, arguments, abuse, ridicule, and the like. The papal authority . . . assailed. --Hallam. They assailed him with keen invective; they assailed him with still keener irony. --Macaulay. Syn: To attack; assault; invade; encounter; fall upon. See Attack.
As*sault"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Assaulted; p. pr. & vb. n. Assaulting.] [From Assault, n.: cf. OF. assaulter, LL. assaltare.]1. To make an assault upon, as by a sudden rush of armed men; to attack with unlawful or insulting physical violence or menaces. Insnared, assaulted, overcome, led bound. --Milton. 2. To attack with moral means, or with a view of producing moral effects; to attack by words, arguments, or unfriendly measures; to assail; as, to assault a reputation or an administration. Before the gates, the cries of babes newborn, . . . Assault his ears. --Dryden. Note: In the latter sense, assail is more common. Syn: To attack; assail; invade; encounter; storm; charge. See Attack.
At*tach"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Attached; p. pr. & vb. n. Attaching.] [OF. atachier, F. attacher, to tie or fasten: cf. Celt. tac, tach, nail, E. tack a small nail, tack to fasten. Cf. Attack, and see Tack.]1. To bind, fasten, tie, or connect; to make fast or join; as, to attach one thing to another by a string, by glue, or the like. The shoulder blade is . . . attached only to the muscles. --Paley. A huge stone to which the cable was attached. --Macaulay. 2. To connect; to place so as to belong; to assign by authority; to appoint; as, an officer is attached to a certain regiment, company, or ship. 3. To win the heart of; to connect by ties of love or self-interest; to attract; to fasten or bind by moral influence; -- with to; as, attached to a friend; attaching others to us by wealth or flattery. Incapable of attaching a sensible man. --Miss Austen. God . . . by various ties attaches man to man. --Cowper. 4. To connect, in a figurative sense; to ascribe or attribute; to affix; -- with to; as, to attach great importance to a particular circumstance. Top this treasure a curse is attached. --Bayard Taylor. 5. To take, seize, or lay hold of. [Obs.] --Shak. 6. To take by legal authority: (a) To arrest by writ, and bring before a court, as to answer for a debt, or a contempt; -- applied to a taking of the person by a civil process; being now rarely used for the arrest of a criminal. (b) To seize or take (goods or real estate) by virtue of a writ or precept to hold the same to satisfy a judgment which may be rendered in the suit. See Attachment, 4. The earl marshal attached Gloucester for high treason. --Miss Yonge. Attached column (Arch.), a column engaged in a wall, so that only a part of its circumference projects from it. Syn: To affix; bind; tie; fasten; connect; conjoin; subjoin; annex; append; win; gain over; conciliate.
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