preventive attack
- noun
- /prɪˈvɛntɪv əˈtæk/
- Formal
:
ataque preventivo
- Iran's nuclear arsenal is likely to be small at first and perhaps vulnerable to a preventive attack.
Examples
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Netanyahu contended that the time to launch a preventive attack is when Iran has sufficient 20 percent enriched uranium to permit further enrichment to one bomb's worth of weapons-grade uranium.
Blog text (23) -
QUESTIONER: The second part is how would you view an attack on Iran, as a preemptive attack or a preventive attack?
Blog text (27) -
But preventive attacks always pose serious problems.
Academic text (2005) -
Meanwhile, in Jerusalem and Washington, decision-makers appear to be aligning their time frames for a preventive attack http://nyti.ms/QphdvD.
Blog text (16) -
In order to stop potential threats, the military planned a preventive attack against the hostile forces.
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The government justified the preventive attack as necessary to protect national security from imminent threats.
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Many believe that a preventive attack is a necessary measure to deter aggression before it escalates.
Synonyms
3
6.8
A surprise attack carried out to stop an enemy from attacking first
A military action to stop an expected attack by an enemy before it happens
Action taken before an expected attack to punish or prevent it
Antonyms
How Aggressive
476
4.3
- Formal
3
6.8
10
6.3
23
7.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: an "attack" that is "preventive" is an attack carried out to prevent or deter an anticipated threat. A B1 learner who knows "preventive" (designed to avert problems) and "attack" (an act of violence) can readily infer this military sense; the modifier-noun pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common.
Etymology
The noun preventive attack comes from the words preventive ('to stop something before it starts') and attack ('a military strike'). Think of putting out a small fire before it spreads; that's why the phrase means 'a strike taken first to stop an expected enemy attack'.