attack
/əˈtæk/ verb A2- To apply violent force to someone or something. · This species of snake will only attack humans if it feels threatened.
- To aggressively challenge a person, idea, etc., with words (particularly in newspaper headlines, because it typesets into less space than "criticize" or similar). · She published an article attacking the recent pay cuts.
- To begin to affect; to act upon injuriously or destructively; to begin to decompose or waste.
- To deal with something in a direct way; to set to work upon. · We’ll have dinner before we attack the biology homework.· I attacked the meal with a hearty appetite.
- To aim balls at the batsman’s wicket.
- To set a field, or bowl in a manner designed to get wickets.
- To bat aggressively, so as to score runs quickly.
- To move forward in an active attempt to score a point, as opposed to trying not to concede.
Plural attack · He/she/it attacks · Past attacked · Past participle attacked · -ing form attacking
Verb forms
- Base form
- attack
- He/she/it
- attacks
- Past
- attacked
- Past participle
- attacked
- -ing form
- attacking
From the library
In twenty-four hours he was attacked by a fever, and died three days afterwards.
He must have placed it on the table before he was attacked; otherwise, of course, it would have fallen when he fell.
This shows that he was not attacked the instant that he entered the room.
A Lion lay in ambush in the hope of making them his prey, but was afraid to attack them while they kept together.
Other matches
Learn attack in real texts
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