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attack

attack

681 4.1
A sudden time when bad symptoms appear
  • noun
  • /əˈtæk/
: ataque
  • He experienced a severe attack of asthma during the night.
  • heart attack
  • panic attack
  • transient ischaemic attack

I've had attacks and and I just don't enjoy being angry.

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Examples

  • The physical price for these labors, however, was an attack of apoplexy on February 1, 1912.

    Academic text (1991)
  • She's had a mild heart attack.

  • "I had another attack of my heart trouble."

  • You practically gave me a heart attack.

  • Each year in the UK, there are about 124,000 heart attacks and nearly 90,000 deaths.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Lying still in a darkened room until the attack subsides aids recovery.

    Academic text (2011)
  • After weeks of stress, she had a panic attack that left her shaken.

  • The doctor warned him that he might face another attack if he didn't manage his blood pressure.

Synonyms

heart attack
vsattack
  • Specialized
506 2.0

A sudden serious illness when blood cannot reach the heart

is the general label for any sudden episode of a condition
seizure
vsattack
  • Specialized
213 5.5

A sudden attack that makes the body shake or lose awareness

is broader and not limited to neurological causes
panic attack
vsattack
68 4.3

A sudden time of very strong fear with fast heartbeat and trouble breathing

is more general extending beyond sudden emotional episodes
anxiety attack
vsattack
22 4.3

A sudden time of very strong fear with a fast heart and shaking

is more general and not limited to sudden worry episodes
asthma attack
vsattack
16 2.5

A sudden time when breathing becomes very difficult and you make a high whistling sound

is broader and applies to sudden episodes across conditions

Antonyms

remission
  • Specialized
43 6.4

A time when disease symptoms become less or go away

Idioms

145 3.5

Being hurt physically or strongly criticized by others

Compounds

heart attack
  • Specialized
506 2.0

A sudden serious illness when blood cannot reach the heart

192 3.9

A sudden violent act against civilians to make people afraid and reach political or religious goals

68 4.3

A sudden time of very strong fear with fast heartbeat and trouble breathing

A sudden time of very strong fear with a fast heart and shaking

A sudden action that begins without warning to catch people not ready

16 2.5

A sudden time when breathing becomes very difficult and you make a high whistling sound

16 3.7

An attack by military planes on the enemy

A set of planned actions to solve a problem or reach a goal

13 4.1

A dog trained to attack or guard on command

9 5.5

An attack using bacteria, viruses or poisons to harm people, animals and crops

An attack by soldiers on land against enemy positions

attack submarine
  • Specialized
2 5.5

A military ship that travels under water to find and destroy enemy ships

angle of attack
  • Specialized
2 7.7

The angle between incoming air and a wing's front-to-back line that affects how the wing lifts

attack aircraft
  • Specialized
2 4.8

A fast military plane that hits enemy targets near the ground

1 5.7

A brief time when part of the brain gets too little blood, causing sudden weakness or vision loss

1 6.7

An official notice that an enemy will attack soon

1 8.6

A U.S. military kit that turns a regular bomb dropped from a plane into a precise guided bomb

diversionary attack
  • Specialized
1 7.8

An action by soldiers to draw the enemy's attention away from the main battle

1 7.3

A move by an army done before an enemy starts to fight to stop them

1 8.1

A big military ship with a long flat deck that carries and launches fighter planes

1 7.8

An attack using germs or poisons to harm people, animals and food supplies

A mass attack by soldiers who charge without caring if they are killed

A very strong action to defeat an enemy or opponent using the most force

spack attack
  • Slang
9.9

A sudden burst of anger or energy because of stress

How Severe

crisis
∞ 3.1
flare-up
13 6.0
attack
681 4.1
episode
226 2.8
twinge
18 4.9

Surface Forms

attack singular
attacks plural

Etymology

Attack originally meant to 'attach' or 'seize on' something, so when we speak of an attack of illness it feels like the sickness suddenly seizes or fastens on the body, which explains the sudden episode meaning.