under attack
105
3.5
- idiom
:
bajo ataque
- The very definition of womanhood is under attack, and womanhood matters.
- come under attack
- standards under attack
- under attack from forces
I think while the dollar is under attack elsewhere, it doesn't help.
- I think while the dollar is under attack elsewhere, it doesn't help.
- So when I first came under attack, I felt alone.
- The very definition of womanhood is under attack, and womanhood matters.
- So while today really seems bad, and while it seems like you're under attack, that's the good news.
- Well, because Hyperion is soon to be under attack.
- American democracy is under attack right now.
- Your business is under attack, my friend.
- Like positionally, you feel like you're constantly under attack.
- And that brings us to sex education being under attack again.
- And, you know, Israel is constantly under attack.
- I'm, I'm bothered by it because I feel like science is under attack.
- There's this big wall that they're not too far from that is constantly under attack by these giant monsters.
- And it was a compound, residential compound which came under attack by al Qaeda.
- Many Americans have felt that their freedom to practice their faith has been under attack, and it's easy to see why.
- Serbia has fallen, as has Montenegro, and Albania is now under attack.
Examples
-
American democracy is under attack right now.
-
We were under attack and had to act fast.
-
So when I first came under attack, I felt alone.
-
And it seems to be under attack or from all sides.
-
Many Americans have felt that their freedom to practice their faith has been under attack, and it's easy to see why.
-
Meanwhile, the proposed Codex standard has come under attack by those who say it has no basis in health risk assessment.
Academic text (2015) -
Standardized testing in the public schools has come under attack by teachers, students, administrators, and parents.
Academic text (1994) -
The entire profession of psychology was in turmoil and under attack at this moment.
Academic text (1990) -
We are under attack!
-
The city was under attack from enemy forces, forcing residents to evacuate immediately.
Synonyms
58
5.0
Receiving strong criticism or being shot at, often in public
8
8.2
People are looking closely at and criticizing a person or thing
Antonyms
How Attacked
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'being the target of assault or criticism' follows directly from combining 'under' (in a state of being affected by) with 'attack' (an act of aggression), so a learner who knows both words can readily infer that something is subject to attack. This 'under + noun' compositional pattern is common in English (e.g. under pressure) and has parallels in many languages, making the phrase transparently interpretable by a B1 learner.
Etymology
The phrase under attack paints a simple picture: imagine a town or person with arrows and soldiers coming at them so they are literally under attack. That's why today under attack means 'being attacked' physically or 'being criticized' by others.