surprise attack
13
3.5
- noun
- /sərˈpraɪz əˈtæk/
:
ataque sorpresa
- The soldiers prepared meticulously for the surprise attack to catch the enemy off guard.
- launch a surprise attack
Ukraine being a foothold does not necessarily mean the United States is going to conduct a surprise attack.
- Ukraine being a foothold does not necessarily mean the United States is going to conduct a surprise attack.
- Anyway, the Russian army, they really used armored trains for surprise attacks and carrying troops into hot zones, right?
Examples
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After the surprise attack at the close of 1941, it didn't take much time for the country to respond.
Academic text (2005) -
1967 - Israel violates the 1949 Armistice Agreement, launching a surprise attack against Egypt and Syria.
Blog text (16) -
We need a surprise attack.
-
A surprise attack would give us a chance to rescue them.
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Then they will launch a surprise attack on the coast of Chile.
Academic text (2002) -
The general's testimony will concern the surprise attack on U.S. forces by the Chinese last December.
Fiction book (1994) -
Then the rebels from the countryside launched their surprise attack on the city in July.
Blog text (9) -
On the morning of December 7th, 1941, America struck Japan in a devastating surprise attack.
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After the December 7, 1941, surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States was battered and humiliated.
Academic text (2014) -
A surprise attack succeeds because of what amounts to collusion between the attacker and the victim.
Academic text (1995)
Synonyms
373
4.9
A sudden attack by police or soldiers on a place
130
5.5
An attack from a hidden place that surprises people
3
6.8
A surprise attack carried out to stop an enemy from attacking first
A sudden surprise attack on a place by soldiers
Antonyms
How Unexpected
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an attack launched without prior warning' is directly and compositionally derived from 'surprise' (an unexpected event) modifying 'attack' (an act of violence or military strike), so learners who know both words can infer the compound's meaning. The modifier+head noun pattern is common cross-linguistically (e.g., Spanish ataque sorpresa, French attaque surprise) and follows a regular semantic composition, making it transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The noun surprise attack comes from a simple picture: people hide and then suddenly make an attack, using surprise so the enemy does not see it coming. That's why it means 'an attack without warning' that aims to 'catch the target unprepared'.