Attack əˈtæk Place Series Terrorist Violent Police Extra

• five people were killed in the attacks that took place last night.
• the recent series of deadly terrorist attacks on european cities
• a violent attack upon a police officer
• vicious attacks against pensioners

attack

1. an act of using violence to try to hurt or kill somebody
• Five people were killed in the attacks that took place last night.
• the recent series of deadly terrorist attacks on European cities
• a violent attack upon a police officer
• vicious attacks against pensioners
• A child is recovering in hospital after a serious attack by a stray dog.

Extra Examples

• He was subjected to a violent attack.
• Two teenagers carried out a frenzied attack on a local shopkeeper.
• Where did the attack happen?
• an attack by an armed gang
• an increase in knife attacks on police officers
2. an act of trying to kill or injure the enemy in war, using weapons such as guns and bombs
• a bomb/rocket/missile attack
• Rebel forces launched an attack on civilian targets.
• Commanders attempted to prevent an attack against the city.
• The patrol came under attack from all sides.

Extra Examples

• Bombers pressed home their attack, causing severe damage to harbour installations.
• Most of the population would stand little chance of surviving a nuclear attack.
• The administration may launch a pre-emptive attack against terrorist bases.
• The attack took place under cover of darkness.
• The border towns have suffered a series of attacks.
• The soldiers mounted an all-out attack on the town.
• They came under sustained attack from the air.
• an attack on enemy positions
3. a sudden, short period of illness, usually severe
• SEE ALSO heart attack
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/heart-attack
• to suffer an asthma attack
• an attack of fever
4. a sudden period of feeling an emotion such as fear
• a panic attack
• an attack of nerves
• He suffers from attacks of anxiety.
• an attack of conscience (= a guilty feeling about something you have done or are planning to do)
• an attack of the giggles
5. strong criticism of somebody/something in speech or in writing
• He found himself the victim of an unprovoked attack by the media.
• She has laid herself wide open to attack.
• It was seen as a personal attack on the president.
• The school has come under attack for failing to encourage bright students.
• Doctors have gone on the attack, accusing the government of incompetence.

Extra Examples

• The government's decision has provoked an attack from leaders of the health service.
• The first line of attack is often name-calling.
6. the players in a team whose job is to try to score goals or points
• COMPARE defence
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/defence
• Germany's attack has been weakened by the loss of some key players through injury.
7. the actions that players take to try to score a goal or win the game
• a sustained attack on the Arsenal goal
8. an action that you take to try to stop or change something that you feel is bad
• to launch an all-out attack on poverty/unemployment
9. the action of something such as an insect, or a disease, that causes damage to something/somebody
• The roof timbers were affected by rot and insect attack.

Word Origin

• early 17th cent.: from French attaque (noun), attaquer (verb), from Italian attacco ‘an attack’, attaccare ‘join battle’, based on an element of Germanic origin (see attach).