under attack
145
3.5
- idiom
- The very definition of womanhood is under attack, and womanhood matters.
- come under attack
- standards under attack
- under attack from forces
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Watch on YouTubeI 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
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American democracy is under attack right now.
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We were under attack and had to act fast.
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So when I first came under attack, I felt alone.
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And it seems to be under attack or from all sides.
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Many Americans have felt that their freedom to practice their faith has been under attack, and it's easy to see why.
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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!
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The city was under attack from enemy forces, forcing residents to evacuate immediately.
Synonyms
64
5.0
Receiving strong criticism or being shot at, often in public
12
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.