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attack

attack

26 5.5
The start of a process that damages materials like rust or mold
  • noun
  • /əˈtæk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ataque
  • Large storms may generate high enough waves and water levels to cause direct wave attack on dunes.
  • chemical attack
  • corrosion attack
  • vulnerable to attack

Examples

  • More permanent, but costly, means of protection against sulphate attack require the use of special cements blended with reactive silica.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Their home, like ours, is under attack from climate change.

  • An exponentially rising number of terrorist attacks is one metric that seems relevant.

    Academic text (2005)
  • The glass can withstand mortar attack.

  • Shortly after I was discharged, my wife and I were vacationing in Florida, and we were involved in a shark attack.

  • Successful companies and products are perpetually "under attack," and new entrants will inevitably make their mark.

    Academic text (1994)
  • As the fear of chemical attack intensified, Eagleburger returned to Israel and reiterated American requests for restraint.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Other common root causes of concrete deterioration in water and wastewater tanks are abrasion, chemical attack, and freeze-thaw cycling.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The chemical attack led to widespread devastation in the affected area.

  • Experts warned that an attack on the ozone layer could have catastrophic effects on the planet.

Idioms

105 3.5

Being hurt physically or strongly criticized by others

Compounds

heart attack
  • Specialized
433 2.0

A sudden serious illness when blood cannot reach the heart

110 3.9

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

70 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

14 2.5

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

13 3.7

An attack by military planes on the enemy

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

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

8 4.1

A dog trained to attack or guard on command

6 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
1 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

diversionary attack
  • Specialized
1 7.8

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

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

7.8

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

8.1

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

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

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

7.3

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

spack attack
  • Slang
9.9

A sudden burst of anger or energy because of stress

6.7

An official notice that an enemy will attack soon

How Damaging

corrosion
  • Specialized
21 6.1
decay
50 4.5
attack
  • Specialized
26 5.5
exposure
295 3.5

Surface Forms

attack singular
attacks plural

Etymology

Attack comes from the basic idea of 'attaching' or 'going at' something, so when materials or objects suffer an attack it means a destructive process has begun that harms them over time.