military An offensive against an enemy (using weapons):
— The attack began at dawn.

synonyms: onrush, onset, onslaught.

Roget 655: disease; illness, sickness etc. adj.; ailing &c.; all the ills that flesh is heir to" [Hamlet]; morbidity, morbosity^†; infirmity, ailment, indisposition; complaint, disorder, malady; distemper, distemperature^†.    visitation, attack, seizure, stroke, fit.    delicacy, loss of health, invalidation, cachexy^†; cachexia [Med.], atrophy, marasmus^†; indigestion, dyspepsia; decay etc. (deterioration) 659; decline, consumption, palsy, paralysis, prostration.    taint, pollution, infection, sepsis, septicity^†, infestation; epidemic, pandemic, endemic, epizootic; murrain, plague, pestilence, pox.    sore, ulcer, abscess, fester, boil; pimple, wen etc. (swelling) 250; carbuncle, gathering, imposthume^†, peccant humor, issue; rot, canker, cold sore, fever sore; cancer, carcinoma, leukemia, neoplastic disease, malignancy, tumor; caries, mortification, corruption, gangrene, sphacelus^†, sphacelation^†, leprosy; eruption, rash, breaking out.    fever, temperature, calenture^†; inflammation.    ague, angina pectoris [Lat.], appendicitis; Asiatic cholera^†, spasmodic cholera; biliary calculus, kidney stone, black death, bubonic plague, pneumonic plague; blennorrhagia^†, blennorrhoea^†; blood poisoning, bloodstroke^†, bloody flux, brash; breakbone fever^†, dengue fever, malarial fever, Q-fever; heart attack, cardiac arrest, cardiomyopathy [Med.]; hardening of the arteries, arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis; bronchocele [Med.], canker rash, cardialgia [Med.], carditis [Med.], endocarditis [Med.]; cholera, asphyxia; chlorosis, chorea, cynanche^†, dartre [Fr.]; enanthem^†, enanthema^†; erysipelas; exanthem^†, exanthema; gallstone, goiter, gonorrhea, green sickness; grip, grippe, influenza, flu; hay fever, heartburn, heaves, rupture, hernia, hemorrhoids, piles, herpes, itch, king's evil, lockjaw; measles, mumps^†, polio; necrosis, pertussis, phthisis^†, pneumonia, psora^†, pyaemia^†, pyrosis [Med.], quinsy, rachitis^†, ringworm, rubeola, St.    Vitus's dance, scabies, scarlatina, scarlet fever, scrofula, seasickness, struma^†, syntexis^†, tetanus, tetter^†, tonsillitis, tonsilitis^†, tracheocele [Med.], trachoma, trismus [Med.], varicella [Med.], varicosis [Med.], variola [Med.], water qualm, whooping cough; yellow fever, yellow jack.    fatal disease etc. (hopeless) 859; dangerous illness, galloping consumption, churchyard cough; general breaking up, break up of the system.    [Disease of mind] idiocy etc. 499; insanity etc. 503.    martyr to disease; cripple; the halt the lame and the blind;" valetudinary^†, valetudinarian; invalid, patient, case; sickroom, sick-chamber.    [Science of disease] pathology, etiology, nosology^†.    [Veterinary] anthrax, bighead; blackleg, blackquarter^†; cattle plague, glanders^†, mange, scrapie, milk sickness; heartworm, feline leukemia, roundworms; quarter-evil, quarter-ill; rinderpest.    [disease-causing agents] virus, bacterium, bacteria.    [types of viruses] DNA virus; RNA virus.    [RNA viruses] rhinovirus; rhabdovirus; picornavirus.    [DNA viruses] herpesvirus; cytomegalovirus, CMV; human immunodefficiency virus, HIV.    ... show more

Roget 716: attack; assault, assault and battery; onset, onslaught, charge.    aggression, offense; incursion, inroad, invasion; irruption; outbreak; estrapade^†, ruade^†; coupe de main, sally, sortie, camisade^†, raid, foray; run at, run against; dead set at.    storm, storming; boarding, escalade^†; siege, investment, obsession^†, bombardment, cannonade.    fire, volley; platoon fire, file fire; fusillade; sharpshooting, broadside; raking fire, cross fire; volley of grapeshot, whiff of the grape, feu d'enfer [Fr.].    cut, thrust, lunge, pass, passado^†, carte and tierce [Fr.], home thrust; coupe de bec [Fr.]; kick, punch etc. (impulse) 276.    battue^†, razzia^†, Jacquerie, dragonnade^†; devastation etc. 162; eboulement [Fr.].    assailant, aggressor, invader.    base of operations, point of attack; echelon.    ... show more

Dutch: aanval
Polish: zaatakowanie, natarcie, najechanie, uderzenie, naparcie

An offensive move in a sport or game.

Polish: natarcie, ofensywa, atak, akcja

Intense adverse criticism:
— The government has come under attack.

synonyms: blast, fire, flack, flak.

Dutch: afbrekende kritiek

Ideas or actions intended to deal with a problem or situation:
— An attack on inflation.
— His plan of attack was misguided.

synonyms: approach, plan of attack.

Dutch: aanval, approach, benadering, benaderingswijze

The act of attacking:
— Attacks on women increased last year.

synonym: attempt.

Dutch: aanval, aanslag, attentaat
Polish: napad, napaść

A decisive manner of beginning a musical tone or phrase.

synonym: tone-beginning.

A sudden occurrence of an uncontrollable condition.

Polish: zaatakowanie

The onset of a corrosive or destructive process (as by a chemical agent).

Strong criticism.

Dutch: uithaal

Launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with:
— Hitler attacked Poland on September 1, 1939 and started World War II.

synonym: assail.

Roget 934: detract, derogate, decry, deprecate, depreciate, disparage; run down, cry down; backcap [U.S.]; belittle; sneer at etc. (contempt) 930; criticize, pull to pieces, pick a hole in one's coat, asperse, cast aspersions, blow upon, bespatter, blacken, vilify, vilipend^†; avile^†; give a dog a bad name, brand, malign; muckrake; backbite, libel, lampoon, traduce, slander, defame, calumniate, bear false witness against; speak ill of behind one's back.    fling dirt etc. (disrespect) 929; anathematize etc. 932; dip the pen in gall, view in a bad light.    impugn (disparage the motives of); assail, attack etc. 716; oppose etc. 708; denounce, accuse etc. 938.    ... show more

Attack in speech or writing:
— The editors of the left-leaning paper attacked the new House Speaker.

synonyms: assail, assault, lash out, round, snipe.

Dutch: aanvallen

Take the initiative and go on the offensive:
— The Serbs attacked the village at night.
— The visiting team started to attack.

synonym: aggress.

Attack someone physically or emotionally.

synonyms: assail, assault, set on.

Roget 716: attack, assault, assail; invade; set upon, fall upon; charge, impugn, break a lance with, enter the lists.    assume the offensive, take the offensive; be the aggressor, become the aggressor; strike the first blow, draw first blood, throw the first stone at; lift a hand against, draw the sword against; take up the cudgels; advance against, march against; march upon, harry; come on, show fight.    strike at, poke at, thrust at; aim a blow at, deal a blow at; give one a blow, fetch one a blow, fetch one a kick, give one a kick; have a cut at, have a shot at, take a cut at, take a shot at, have a fling at, have a shy at; be down upon, pounce upon; fall foul of, pitch into, launch out against; bait, slap on the face; make a thrust at, make a pass at, make a set at, make a dead set at; bear down upon.    close with, come to close quarters; bring to bay.    ride full tilt against; attack tooth and nail, go at hammer and tongs.    let fly at, dash at, run a tilt at, rush at, tilt at, run at, fly at, hawk at, have at, let out at; make a dash, make a rush at; strike home; drive one hard; press one hard; be hard upon, run down, strike at the root of.    lay about one, run amuck.    aim at, draw a bead on [U.S.].    fire upon, fire at, fire a shot at; shoot at, pop at, level at, let off a gun at; open fire, pepper, bombard, shell, pour a broadside into; fire a volley, fire red-hot shot; spring a mine.    throw a stone, throw stones at; stone, lapidate^†, pelt; hurl at, hurl against, hurl at the head of; rock beset [U.S.], besiege, beleaguer; lay siege to, invest, open the trenches, plant a battery, sap, mine; storm, board, scale the walls.    cut and thrust, bayonet, butt; kick, strike etc. (impulse) 276; whip etc. (punish) 972.    [attack verbally] assail, impugn; malign (detract) 934.    bomb, rocket, blast.    ... show more

Dutch: attaque, aanval, aanvallen, attaqueren, molesteren, storten

Set to work upon; turn one's energies vigorously to a task.

Begin to injure.