attacked

verb

past tense of attack
1
as in assaulted
to take sudden, violent action against our dog unexpectedly attacked the mailman, sinking his teeth into the startled man's leg

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in slammed
to criticize harshly and usually publicly the mayor and all his aides were attacked mercilessly in the press when the scandal erupted

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tackled
to start work on energetically Courtney attacked the huge mess in her room with determination and enthusiasm

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 attacked Police arrived and found that the caller had been attacked and had minor injuries. — Nathan Pilling july 1, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026 Oaklyn Parsons, 5, was attacked June 28 by a rabid fox on her front porch. — Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026 Take Cayman, a dog who was recently attacked by a bear and had to undergo emergency surgery, as an example. — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 22 June 2026 Ship traffic through Hormuz plunged during the war as Iran attacked vessels, triggering the largest oil supply disruption in history. — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 22 June 2026 After the match, MJF attacked Briscoe with the Dynamite Diamond Ring. — Rob Wolkenbrod, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 Police said former professional soccer player Badea and another man attacked Zeraati before fleeing in a getaway car driven by Stana and then flying out of the country from Heathrow Airport. — ABC News, 3 July 2026 The incident happened the same day two women reported being attacked by an armed man while hiking on the Bicentennial Greenway in High Point, which is about 30 miles northeast of Tanglewood Park. — Mark Price july 2, Charlotte Observer, 2 July 2026 The three men who attacked our CBS News Chicago crew near Adler Planetarium before pointing a gun at people in Brighton Park on Monday afternoon have been charged. — Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 2 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attacked
  1. assaulted
  2. slammed
  3. tackled
  4. raided
  5. scolded
  6. approached
  7. stormed
  8. abused
Verb
  • The singer, who notably assaulted ex-girlfriend and Fenty beauty mogul Rihanna the night before the 2009 Grammy Awards, pleaded not guilty last year in the Diaw case.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • One of the suspects also assaulted and sprayed paint on a person, and when officers tried to detain the suspects several blocks away at Turk and Taylor streets, other people surrounded and obstructed the officers, police said.
    — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Definition of assaulted
Verb
  • In a scathing Instagram post this morning, LuPone, who has long been devoted to her equally enamored gay fandom, slammed Turkey’s latest homophobic move.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 3 July 2026
  • Investigators said the Tesla slammed through a brick home at a high rate of speed, fatally striking Avila.
    — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
Definition of slammed
Verb
  • Sheikh Haque was tackled by a congregant inside the Muslim Center of New York on Geranium Ave.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 4 July 2026
  • The goal was erased, however, because Spain tackled Austria’s goalkeeper before Cucurella took his shot.
    — Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of tackled
Verb
  • The Fulton County Election Hub in Union City was raided by the FBI in January and hundreds of election materials were seized.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • Subpoenas were issued June 8, the same day FBI agents raided both men’s houses and the assessor’s office.
    — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
Definition of raided
Verb
  • Davis remembered once being scolded as a teenager by her mother after being caught speaking poorly of a classmate.
    — Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 23 June 2026
  • Well versed in what the lunar surface truly offers, Britt scolded a number of arty accounts of lunar territory promulgated by both NASA and commercial space ventures.
    — Leonard David, Space.com, 22 June 2026
Definition of scolded
Verb
  • Organizers of celebrations months in the making had to adjust or cancel activities entirely as much of the East Coast sweltered under heat that approached and in many cases surpassed triple digits.
    — Steven Sloan, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
  • Mixed responses to the American Freedom Train matched the national mood as the United States approached its Bicentennial celebration in 1976.
    — Paul Durica, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of approached
Verb
  • The puncher, who was wearing a white shirt and shorts, white socks and black crocs, stormed off and has not been caught.
    — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026
  • With Lionel Messi, then 35, defying nature in Tom Brady-like fashion, Argentina stormed to its third World Cup title, which worked in Telemundo’s favor.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 3 July 2026
Definition of stormed
Verb
  • Some dogs fear brooms, vacuum cleaners or other household products, particularly if they’ve been hurt or abused in the past.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 2 July 2026
  • Lamar called out Drake for allegedly having a secret child, and Drake claimed that Kendrick abused his fiancée.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
Definition of abused

Browse Nearby Words

attack dogs
attacked
attacker
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Cite this Entry

“Attacked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attacked. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on attacked

Nglish: Translation of attacked for Spanish Speakers

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