ENGLISH
REFERENCE

attacking

v.
A2 Elementary US //əˈtækɪŋ// UK //ɐtˈækɪŋ// at·tack·ing

v. trying to hurt someone or something using force. You can also use this in sports when a team tries to score a goal.

v. engaging in physical force against an opponent to cause harm or gain control. In a sporting context, it refers to the proactive attempt to score or advance toward the opponent's goal.


SIMPLE

The army is attacking the city from the north.

CONTEXTUAL

The home team spent the entire second half attacking the goal but failed to score.

COMPLEX

By attacking the problem from a different angle, the engineers discovered a structural flaw that had previously gone unnoticed during the initial testing phase.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From attack + -ing.

Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object; it can also be used intransitively in sports commentary.

Pitfall

they are attacking to the enemythey are attacking the enemyAttack is a transitive verb and does not require the preposition 'to' before the object.

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