noun

1. An attempt to cause damage, injury to, or death of opponent or enemy.

2. An attempt to detract from the worth or credibility of, a person, position, idea, object, or thing, by physical, verbal, emotional, or other assault.

   “They claimed the censorship of the article was an attack on free speech.”

3. A time in which one attacks; the offence of a battle.

   “The army timed their attack to coincide with the local celebrations.”

Synonyms: hit, spike

verb

1. To apply violent force to someone or something.

   “This species of snake will only attack humans if it feels threatened.”

2. 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.”

3. To begin to affect; to act upon injuriously or destructively; to begin to decompose or waste.