1 : to act violently against (someone or something) : to try to hurt, injure, or destroy (something or someone) [+ obj] ▪ He attacked the guard with a knife. ▪ Troops attacked the fortress at dawn. — often used as (be) attacked ▪ He was attacked by a dog. ▪ He was attacked from behind by two men. [no obj] ▪ Suddenly, the dog attacked. ▪ The troops attacked at dawn. 2 [+ obj] : to criticize (someone or something) in a very harsh and severe way
▪ The study has been attacked as unscientific. [=people have criticized the study by saying that it is unscientific] ▪ People are attacking the mayor for breaking campaign promises. ▪ The professor has been widely attacked for her position on the issue. 3 [+ obj] a : to begin to work on or deal with (something, such as a problem) in a determined and eager way
▪ We eagerly attacked the problem. [=we eagerly tried to solve the problem]
b : to begin to eat (food) eagerly
▪ Did you see the way the kids attacked that pizza? 4 [+ obj] : to begin to harm, injure, or destroy (something)
▪ The virus attacks the body's immune system. ▪ A number of trees have been attacked by the disease. ▪ Insects have attacked the crops. 5 sports : to try to score points or goals by moving forward in a very forceful way [no obj] ▪ The team attacked from the outset, so it was no surprise that they won. [+ obj] ▪ The offense attacked the weak defensive line.