At*tack" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Attacked (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n.
Attacking.] [F. attaquer, orig. another form of
attacher to attack: cf. It. attacare to fasten, attack. See
Attach, Tack a small nail.] 1. To fall
upon with force; to assail, as with force and arms; to assault.
"Attack their lines." Dryden.
2. To assail with unfriendly speech or writing; to
begin a controversy with; to attempt to overthrow or bring into disrepute,
by criticism or satire; to censure; as, to attack a man, or his
opinions, in a pamphlet.
3. To set to work upon, as upon a task or problem,
or some object of labor or investigation.
4. To begin to affect; to begin to act upon,
injuriously or destructively; to begin to decompose or waste.
On the fourth of March he was attacked by fever.
Macaulay.
Hydrofluoric acid . . . attacks the glass.
B. Stewart.
Syn. -- To Attack, Assail, Assault,
Invade. These words all denote a violent onset; attack being
the generic term, and the others specific forms of attack. To attack
is to commence the onset; to assail is to make a sudden and violent
attack, or to make repeated attacks; to assault (literally, to leap
upon) is to attack physically by a had-to-hand approach or by unlawful and
insulting violence; to invade is to enter by force on what belongs
to another. Thus, a person may attack by offering violence of any
kind; he may assail by means of missile weapons; he may
assault by direct personal violence; a king may invade by
marching an army into a country. Figuratively, we may say, men
attack with argument or satire; they assail with abuse or
reproaches; they may be assaulted by severe temptations; the rights
of the people may be invaded by the encroachments of the crown.
At*tack", v. i. To make an onset or
attack.
At*tack", n. [Cf. F. attaque.]
1. The act of attacking, or falling on with force or
violence; an onset; an assault; -- opposed to defense.
2. An assault upon one's feelings or reputation
with unfriendly or bitter words.
3. A setting to work upon some task, etc.
4. An access of disease; a fit of
sickness.
5. The beginning of corrosive, decomposing, or
destructive action, by a chemical agent.
