attacker Definition

attack
verb attacked, attacking

1. To make a sudden violent attempt to hurt, damage or capture.

Thesaurus: assault, assail, strike, charge, besiege, invade, storm, bear down on, bear down upon, swoop down on, swoop down upon; Antonym: retreat, recoil, fall back.
2. To criticize strongly in speech or writing.

Thesaurus: berate, malign, revile, refute, censure, inveigh against, pillory, castigate, denounce.
intr
3. To make an attack.
4. To begin to do something with enthusiasm or determination.
5. To begin to damage.

Example: Plaque attacks the teeth
intr
6. To take the initiative in a game, contest, etc to attempt to score a goal, points, etc.

noun

1. An act or the action of attacking.

Thesaurus: aggression, charge, onslaught, assault, raid, advance, offence, bombardment, invasion; Antonym: withdrawal, retreat.
2. A sudden spell of illness.

Example: an attack of ‘flu
Thesaurus: spell, seizure, bout, fit, outburst, paroxysm, relapse.
3. The players, eg the strikers, forwards, etc in a team sport whose job is to score goals, points, etc. Compare the defence at defence 7, the midfield at midfield 2.

Form: the attack

Derivative: attackable
adj

Derivative: attacker
noun

Someone who makes a physical, verbal, sporting, etc attack.
Thesaurus: assailant, abuser, aggressor, persecutor, mugger, raider, perpetrator, criminal, felon.

Idiom: to be on the attack

To take up an offensive position.

Etymology: 17c: from Italian attaccare.