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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in tackled
to start work on energetically
Courtney attacked the huge mess in her room with determination and enthusiasm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of attacked
The book's Japanese translator was murdered, and others associated with it were attacked.
—
Anderson Cooper, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Because as Bam Adebayo attacked a second-quarter offensive rebound with seemingly nothing but open air space toward the rim, teammate Kel’el Ware had similar thoughts of contesting that same carom of that Davion Mitchell errant attempt.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026
Hollywood Unknown species A Canadian man in his 40s suffered an injury to his upper arm in chest-deep water with a friend when a fish jumped over his head, and he was quickly attacked by a shark.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon have frequently accused UNIFIL of collusion with Israel and have sometimes attacked its patrols.
—Arkansas Online, 8 Feb. 2026
The Magic forward attacked the paint and found his spots on the floor while distributing the ball early and often.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
The day before Thanksgiving his daughter, out of the blue, verbally attacked me over something insignificant.
—R. Eric Thomas, Denver Post, 7 Feb. 2026
Browner’s jam on Kearse did enough to ruin the timing and spacing of the play, and Butler attacked the ball with the exact amount of tenacity that’s required to win a Super Bowl.
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
One study in 2020 surveyed 261 herders in Mongolia, another common habitat for snow leopards; while many reported having seen snow leopards, or had their livestock attacked by snow leopards, none reported any attacks on humans.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
Anderson Cooper, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Because as Bam Adebayo attacked a second-quarter offensive rebound with seemingly nothing but open air space toward the rim, teammate Kel’el Ware had similar thoughts of contesting that same carom of that Davion Mitchell errant attempt.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026
Hollywood Unknown species A Canadian man in his 40s suffered an injury to his upper arm in chest-deep water with a friend when a fish jumped over his head, and he was quickly attacked by a shark.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 9 Feb. 2026
Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon have frequently accused UNIFIL of collusion with Israel and have sometimes attacked its patrols.
—Arkansas Online, 8 Feb. 2026
The Magic forward attacked the paint and found his spots on the floor while distributing the ball early and often.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
The day before Thanksgiving his daughter, out of the blue, verbally attacked me over something insignificant.
—R. Eric Thomas, Denver Post, 7 Feb. 2026
Browner’s jam on Kearse did enough to ruin the timing and spacing of the play, and Butler attacked the ball with the exact amount of tenacity that’s required to win a Super Bowl.
—Jeff Howe, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
One study in 2020 surveyed 261 herders in Mongolia, another common habitat for snow leopards; while many reported having seen snow leopards, or had their livestock attacked by snow leopards, none reported any attacks on humans.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attacked
Verb
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The charges stem from an incident in which Diggs allegedly assaulted the unnamed female employee over a paycheck dispute at his Dedham, Massachusetts, residence, according to a criminal complaint obtained by The Enterprise, part of the USA TODAY Network.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
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Then, in 2012, a process server sued Hadder, claiming he was assaulted and wrongfully arrested while trying to serve a subpoena.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The source of the photos, who requested anonymity, slammed Nanos for attending the game while the search continues.—
Peter D'Abrosca , Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
8 Feb. 2026
-
On the court, White jumped in anticipation as Peterson slammed the ball into the hoop.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Lenderman tackled the title track at Zootown Arts Community Center in Missoula, Montana, in October 2022, performing an aching 12-minute rendition.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
13 Feb. 2026
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Within seconds, Perez smacked a cellphone out of the man's hand, swung at his head and tackled him to the ground.—
Sheridan Hendrix,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The newspaper printed its last edition in June 2021 after police raided its office and froze its assets.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
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As recently as December, police raided a gay-friendly venue in the nation’s capital, Baku, and detained more than 100 people.—
Ryan Oehrli
Updated February 6,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As the Sentinel’s Cristobal Reyes has reported, federal judges based in Orlando have scolded prosecutors multiple times in recent weeks for detaining people who should have been set free, with one judge memorably comparing the current actions of ICE to those of a third-world country.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2026
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No fan should be told how to follow their team, nor be scolded for feeling conflicted, especially as Spurs supporters have been put in this unenviable bind by the failings of their club — rather than the other way around.—
Dan Kilpatrick,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Whether on the stage or the red carpet, the star has always approached dressing with an original and personal flair.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2026
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As half-time approached during Sunderland’s visit, there was a growing desperation for an opener from the Emirates crowd.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Technically, fans stormed the court twice.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
8 Feb. 2026
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The United States has not maintained a physical embassy in Tehran since the Iranian revolution in 1979, when militants stormed the building and held Americans hostage for 444 days.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Saxon had abused the woman for years, fracturing her hip and nose and causing internal bleeding, a judge found in a ruling ordering him detained pending trial.—
Ryan J. Foley,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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He is estimated to have abused at least 1,000 women and children over decades of secret operations, the Justice Department said.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Attacked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attacked. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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