n. 25B6; verb
Chris had been brutally attacked : ASSAULT, assail, set upon, beat up; batter, pummel, punch; N. Amer. beat up on; informal do over, work over, rough up; Brit. informal duff up.
the French had still not attacked : STRIKE, charge, pounce; bombard, shell, blitz, strafe, fire.
the clergy attacked government policies : CRITICIZE, censure, condemn, pillory, savage, revile, vilify; informal knock, slam, bash, lay into; Brit. informal slate, slag off, rubbish; N. Amer. informal pummel.
they have to attack the problem soon : ADDRESS, attend to, deal with, confront, apply oneself to, get to work on, undertake, embark on; informal get stuck into, get cracking on, get weaving on.
the virus attacks the liver : AFFECT, have an effect on, strike; infect, damage, injure.
defend, praise, protect.
25B6; noun
an attack on their home : ASSAULT, onslaught, offensive, strike, blitz, raid, charge, rush, invasion, incursion.
she wrote a hostile attack on him : CRITICISM, censure, rebuke, admonishment, reprimand, reproval; condemnation, denunciation, revilement, vilification; tirade, diatribe, polemic; informal roasting, caning; Brit. informal slating, rollicking, blast.
an asthmatic attack : FIT, seizure, spasm, convulsion, paroxysm, outburst, bout.
defence, commendation.