Attack word meaning and definition

[noun] a decisive manner of beginning a musical tone or phrase
[noun] an offensive move in a sport or game; "they won the game with a 10-hit attack in the 9th inning"
[noun] the act of attacking; "attacks on women increased last year"; "they made an attempt on his life"
[noun] 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"
[noun] an offensive against and enemy (using weapons); "the attack began at dawn"
[noun] strong criticism; "he published an unexpected attack on my work"
[noun] intense adverse criticism; "Clinton directed his fire at the Republican Party"; "the government has come under attack"; "don't give me any flak"
[noun] 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"
[noun] a sudden occurrence of an uncontrollable condition; "an attack of diarrhea"
[verb] begin to injure; "The cancer cells are attacking his liver"; "Rust is attacking the metal"
[verb] set to work upon; turn one's energies vigorously to a task; "I attacked the problem as soon as I got out of bed"
[verb] attack verbally, in speech or writing; "The editors of the left-leaning paper attacked the new House Speaker"
[verb] take the initiative and go on the offensive; "The Serbs attacked the village at night"; "The visiting team started to attack"
[verb] launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities with, as in warfare; "Hitler attacked Poland on September 1, 1939 and started World War II"; "Serbian forces assailed Bosnian towns all week"
[verb] attack someone physically or emotionally; "The mugger assaulted the woman"; "Nightmares assailed him regularly"

\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 force and arms; to assault. ``Attack their lines.'' --Dryden. 2. To assail with unfriendly speech or writing; to begin a controversy with; to attempt to overthrow or bring into disrepute, by criticism or satire; to censure; as, to attack a man, or his opinions, in a pamphlet. 3. To set to work upon, as upon a task or problem, or some object of labor or investigation. 4. To begin to affect; to begin to act upon, injuriously or destructively; to begin to decompose or waste. On the fourth of March he was attacked by fever. --Macaulay. Hydrofluoric acid . . . attacks the glass. --B. Stewart. Syn: To {Attack}, {Assail}, {Assault}, {Invade}. Usage: These words all denote a violent onset; attack being the generic term, and the others specific forms of attack. To attack is to commence the onset; to assail is to make a sudden and violent attack, or to make repeated attacks; to assault (literally, to leap upon) is to attack physically by a had-to-hand approach or by unlawful and insulting violence; to invade is to enter by force on what belongs to another. Thus, a person may attack by offering violence of any kind; he may assail by means of missile weapons; he may assault by direct personal violence; a king may invade by marching an army into a country. Figuratively, we may say, men attack with argument or satire; they assail with abuse or reproaches; they may be assaulted by severe temptations; the rights of the people may be invaded by the encroachments of the crown.
\At*tack"\, v. i. To make an onset or attack.
\At*tack"\, n. [Cf. F. attaque.] 1. The act of attacking, or falling on with force or violence; an onset; an assault; -- opposed to defense. 2. An assault upon one's feelings or reputation with unfriendly or bitter words. 3. A setting to work upon some task, etc. 4. An access of disease; a fit of sickness. 5. The beginning of corrosive, decomposing, or destructive action, by a chemical agent.

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