I. at ‧ tack 1 S2 W2 /əˈtæk/ BrE AmE 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 ↑ goal s or win points
b) British English [singular] the players in a team that are responsible for trying to score ↑ goal s or win points SYN 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.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ NOUN + 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.
■ adjectives
▪ 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.
■ verbs
▪ 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.
■ phrases
▪ 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.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + attack
▪ 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.
■ verbs
▪ 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.
• • •
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.
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The men had been carrying out rocket attacks on British forces.
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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.
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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
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NATO warplanes carried out a series of bombing raids on the city.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The troops were preparing for another onslaught against the enemy.
II. attack 2 S3 W2 BrE AmE 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 ↑ goal s or win points ⇨ defend :
Brazil began to attack more in the second half of the match.
• • •
THESAURUS
■ to attack a person
▪ attack to use violence against someone and try to hurt them:
She was attacked by a man with a baseball bat.
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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.
■ to attack a place
▪ attack to use weapons to try to damage or take control of a place:
The village was attacked by enemy warplanes.
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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.