attack

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
attack/əˈtak/

▶verb

• 1 take aggressive action against.

  ■ (of a disease, chemical, etc.) act harmfully on.

• 2 criticize or oppose fiercely and publicly.

• 3 begin to deal with (a problem or task) in a determined way.

• 4 (in sport) make a forceful attempt to score goals or points.

▶noun

• 1 an instance of attacking.

  ■ destructive action by a disease or chemical.

• 2 a sudden short bout of an illness or disorder.

• 3 the players in a team whose role is to attack.

• 4 forceful style in performing music or another art.

– derivatives
attacker noun.

– origin C17: from Fr. attaque (n.), attaquer (v.), from Ital. attacco ‘an attack’, attaccare ‘join battle’.