ATTACK Synonyms: 219 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'attack' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of attack are assail , assault , bombard , and storm . While all these words mean "to make an onslaught upon," attack implies taking the initiative in a struggle. // plan to attack the town at dawn

Q: When could 'assail' be used to replace 'attack'?

The words assail and attack are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, assail implies attempting to break down resistance by repeated blows or shots. // assailed the enemy with artillery fire

Q: When might 'assault' be a better fit than 'attack'?

Although the words assault and attack have much in common, assault suggests a direct attempt to overpower by suddenness and violence of onslaught. // commandos assaulted the building from all sides

Q: When would 'bombard' be a good substitute for 'attack'?

The synonyms bombard and attack are sometimes interchangeable, but bombard applies to attacking with bombs or shells. // bombarded the city nightly

Q: When can 'storm' be used instead of 'attack'?

While the synonyms storm and attack are close in meaning, storm implies attempting to break into a defended position. // preparing to storm the fortress

attack 1 of 2

noun

Definition of attack

as in assault

the act or action of setting upon with force or violence The USS Constitution was nicknamed "Old Ironsides" after its oaken hull successfully withstood a British attack

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in bout

a sudden experiencing of a physical or mental disorder malaria is characterized by periodic attacks of chills and fever

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

attack

2 of 2

verb

ə-ˈtak

as in to assault

to take sudden, violent action against our dog unexpectedly attacked the mailman, sinking his teeth into the startled man's leg

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to slam

to criticize harshly and usually publicly the mayor and all his aides were attacked mercilessly in the press when the scandal erupted

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to approach

to start work on energetically Courtney attacked the huge mess in her room with determination and enthusiasm

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb attack contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of attack are assail, assault, bombard, and storm. While all these words mean "to make an onslaught upon," attack implies taking the initiative in a struggle.

plan to attack the town at dawn

When could assail be used to replace attack?

The words assail and attack are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, assail implies attempting to break down resistance by repeated blows or shots.

assailed the enemy with artillery fire

When might assault be a better fit than attack?

Although the words assault and attack have much in common, assault suggests a direct attempt to overpower by suddenness and violence of onslaught.

commandos assaulted the building from all sides

When would bombard be a good substitute for attack?

The synonyms bombard and attack are sometimes interchangeable, but bombard applies to attacking with bombs or shells.

bombarded the city nightly

When can storm be used instead of attack?

While the synonyms storm and attack are close in meaning, storm implies attempting to break into a defended position.

preparing to storm the fortress

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of attack

Noun

Angle of attack refers to the angle between an aircraft wing and the airflow approaching it. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026 On Tuesday morning, three people were killed and four injured when two vehicles caught fire in a Russian attack on the Kyiv-Odesa highway, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said. — Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026

Verb

But in about 1 out of every 200 infections globally, the virus attacks the nerves that control muscles, usually in the legs. — Katrine L. Wallace, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026 In 2016's The Shallows, Blake Lively plays a surfer attacked by a shark in Mexico and stranded on a reef outcropping just 200 feet from shore. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 26 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for attack

Recent Examples of Synonyms for attack

Noun

Lula seized on these acts as meddling in the campaign, and as an assault on Brazilian sovereignty encouraged by the Bolsonaro family.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
All this was happening with a coincident and successful assault of affirmative action in higher education.

— Kamau Bobb October 21, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of assault

Verb

Thrifting, attending clothing swaps and raiding friends' and family members' closets are all ways to avoid buying new costumes.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
Thieves raided a jewelry store in a crash-and-grab burglary in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood early Tuesday morning.

— Desiree Evans, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of raid

Verb

The familyâs legal team filed complaints targeting Iranian officials who bankrolled Hamas, slamming the ICC for double standards and demanding arrest warrants for the regime bosses backing the atrocity.

— Staff, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
On June 24, Matis blew through a stop sign and slammed into a home on the 2900 block of Southwest 57th Avenue, where Bezy was sleeping.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of slam

Verb

The result offers researchers a different way to approach quantum material design.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
With Election Day approaching, California voters are facing a crowded ballot and competing claims about what the state's propositions would do.

— James Taylor, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of approach

Noun

Ukrainian officials say that the offensive has disrupted Russia’s assault on Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, key Ukrainian strongholds in the Donbas region.

— Anastasiia Parafeniuk, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
Advertisement Leaders contemplating an October surprise or an offensive after the midterms must remember that uncomfortable truth.

— Ali Vaez, Time, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of offensive

Noun

On April 13, 2021—the day after Lanitis died—the Appenzell Ausserrhoden prosecutor’s office ordered the seizure of relevant records and called for an autopsy, which revealed that Lanitis had died of multiple organ failure.

— D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
This comes amid a surge of violence and land seizures by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

— Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of seizure

Verb

Protests last week devolved into mayhem, with people setting fires, storming public buildings, smashing shop windows, looting and clashing with police.

— ELITSA GADEVA, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
Republicans stormed to their first majority in the House (54 seats net) in 40 years and recaptured the Senate with eight new seats there as well.

— Ron Elving, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of storm

Cite this Entry

Style

“Attack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attack. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of attack

noun

verb

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