Betekenis van attack In het Nederlands

• 0 to try to hurt or defeat using violence:

  • He was attacked and seriously injured by a gang of youths.

  • Army forces have been attacking the town since dawn.

  • Most wild animals won't attack unless they are provoked.

• 1 to criticize someone strongly:

  • She wrote an article attacking the judges and their conduct of the trial.

  • The report attacks the idea of exams for seven and eight-year-olds.

• 2 If something, such as a disease or a chemical, attacks something, it damages it:

  • AIDS attacks the body's immune system.

  • My rose bushes are being attacked by aphids.

• 3 If players in a team attack, they move forward to try to score points, goals, etc.

• 4 to deal with something quickly and in an effective way:

  • We have to attack these problems now and find some solutions.

  • The children rushed in and eagerly attacked the food (= quickly started to eat it).

• 5 a violent act intended to hurt or damage someone or something:

  • a racist attack

  • Enemy forces have made an attack on the city.

  • These bomb blasts suggest that the terrorists are (going) on the attack (= trying to defeat or hurt other people) again.

  • The town was once again under attack (= being attacked).

• 6 a strong criticism of someone or something:

  • a scathing attack on the president

  • The government has come under attack from all sides for cutting education spending.

• 7 a sudden and short period of illness:

  • an attack of asthma/flu/malaria

  • figurative an attack of the giggles

• 8 the part of a team in some sports that tries to score points:

  • The team has a strong attack, but its defence is weak.

  • The team is strong inattack but useless in defence.

  • The team needs to put some more attack into its game.

• 9 to try to hurt or defeat someone or something using violence:

  • [ T ] Two campers were attacked by a bear last night.

  • [ I ] Most wild animals won't attack unless they are provoked.

  • [ T ] The stress hormone cortisol attacks the immune system.

• 10 to criticize someone or something strongly:

  • Critics have attacked her ideas as antidemocratic.

  • In TV ads, he attacked his opponent’s record.

• 11 An attack is also a sudden, short period of illness, or a sudden feeling that you cannot control:

  • [ C ] an asthma attack

  • [ C ] How do you let your kids go without having anxiety attacks?

• 12 An attack is also strong criticism of someone or something:

  • [ U ] The more he speaks out, the more he comes under attack.