ENGLISH
REFERENCE

attacked

v.
A2 Elementary US //əˈtækt// UK //ɐtˈækt// at·tacked

v. to try to hurt someone or something using physical force or strong words. You can also use it when a disease or a problem starts to affect someone.

v. to take aggressive action against a person, place, or entity with the intent to cause harm or damage. Transitive; often used metaphorically in political or medical contexts.


SIMPLE

The dog attacked the mailman yesterday morning.

CONTEXTUAL

The opposition party attacked the government's new tax plan during the televised debate.

COMPLEX

The immune system mistakenly attacked healthy cells, leading to a chronic inflammatory response that puzzled the medical team for months.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. In the passive voice, it is often followed by the preposition 'by'.

Pitfall

The army attacked to the city.The army attacked the city.Attack is a transitive verb and does not require a preposition before the object.

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