air attack
13
3.7
- noun
- /ɛr əˈtæk/
:
ataque aéreo
- Likewise, Russia also carries out air attacks to dismantle the strongholds of ISIS in Syria.
Examples
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As I report to you, air attacks are underway against military targets in Iraq.
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We have to shield them from air attack.
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The time has now come to make everything ready for you and your family in case an air attack happens.
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Here I was safe from air attacks.
Academic text (2008) -
The mental reaction of the German people to air attacks is significant.
Academic text (2005) -
Although Parliament had been discussing the need for defense from air attacks, nothing was being done.
Fiction book (1991) -
In addition, German air attacks on British towns brought political demands from British citizens for retaliation.
Academic text (1991) -
People can see a more direct cause-and-effect relationship between air attack and destruction because they happen almost simultaneously.
Academic text (1993) -
We're under air attack.
-
We're currently facing an air attack from enemy forces in the region.
Synonyms
348
7.0
A military attack to destroy a specific target
173
4.5
A military attack by planes that drop bombs or fire missiles at targets on the ground
32
4.2
A sudden attack by military planes that drop bombs and shoot at the ground
1
9.5
An attack by a low-flying plane that fires guns at the ground
How Severe
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an attack using military aircraft' is directly and compositionally derived from 'air' (relating to aviation/airborne) + 'attack' (a military strike). This noun–noun compound follows a straightforward ‘by air’ interpretation found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Air attack comes from a clear picture: air means from above and attack means to strike, so imagine war planes flying over and dropping bombs on a town. That's why it means 'an attack by military aircraft'.