Attack vs Attain - What's the difference?
attack | attain |
An attempt to cause damage or injury to, or to somehow detract from the worth or credibility of, a person, position, idea, object, or thing, by physical, verbal, emotional, or other assault.
* {{quote-book, year=1913, author=
, title=Lord Stranleigh Abroad
, chapter=4 * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-19, author=
, volume=189, issue=6, page=1, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly)
, title= A time in which one attacks. The offence of a battle.
(cricket) Collectively, the bowlers of a cricket side.
(volleyball) Any contact with the ball other than a serve or block which sends the ball across the plane of the net.
(lacrosse) The three attackmen on the field or all the attackmen of a team.
The sudden onset of a disease.
An active episode of a chronic or recurrent disease.
(music) The onset of a musical note, particularly with respect to the strength (and duration) of that onset.
(audio) The amount of time it takes for the volume of an audio signal to go from zero to maximum level (e.g. an audio waveform representing a snare drum hit would feature a very fast attack, whereas that of a wave washing to shore would feature a slow attack).
To apply violent force to someone or something.
To aggressively challenge a person, idea, etc., with words (particularly in newspaper headlines, because it typesets into less space than "criticize" or similar ).
* {{quote-news, year=2012
, date=June 3
, author=Nathan Rabin
, title=TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Mr. Plow” (season 4, episode 9; originally aired 11/19/1992)
To begin to affect; to act upon injuriously or destructively; to begin to decompose or waste.
* Macaulay
* B. Stewart
To deal with something in a direct way; to set to work upon.
(cricket) To aim balls at the batsman’s wicket.
(cricket) To set a field, or bowl in a manner designed to get wickets.
(cricket) To bat aggressively, so as to score runs quickly.
(soccer) To move forward in an attempt to actively score point, as opposed to trying not to concede.
* {{quote-news, year=2011
, date=October 15
, author=Michael Da Silva
, title=Wigan 1 - 3 Bolton
, work=BBC Sport
To accomplish; to achieve.
To get at the knowledge of; to ascertain.
* Fuller
To reach or come to, by progression or motion; to arrive at.
* Milton
* Bible, Psalms cxxxix. 6
To come or arrive, by motion, growth, bodily exertion, or efforts toward a place, object, state, etc.; to reach.
* Bible, Acts xxvii. 12
* Sir Walter Scott
* Cowper
* J. R. Green
To reach in excellence or degree; to equal.
(obsolete) To overtake.
In lang=en terms the difference between attack and attain
is that attack is to deal with something in a direct way; to set to work upon while attain is to come or arrive, by motion, growth, bodily exertion, or efforts toward a place, object, state, etc; to reach.As verbs the difference between attack and attain
is that attack is to apply violent force to someone or something while attain is to accomplish; to achieve.As a noun attack
is an attempt to cause damage or injury to, or to somehow detract from the worth or credibility of, a person, position, idea, object, or thing, by physical, verbal, emotional, or other assault.attack
English
Noun
(en noun)citation, passage=“I came down like a wolf on the fold, didn’t I??? Why didn’t I telephone??? Strategy, my dear boy, strategy. This is a surprise attack , and I’d no wish that the garrison, forewarned, should escape. …”}}
Mark Tran
Denied an education by war, passage=One particularly damaging, but often ignored, effect of conflict on education is the proliferation of attacks' on schools
Synonyms
* (volleyball) hit, spike * See alsoAntonyms
* (music) decay, releaseDerived terms
* attack is the best form of defence * pincer attackVerb
(en verb)- This species of snake will only attack humans if it feels threatened.
- She published an article attacking the recent pay cuts.
citation, page= , passage=In its God-like prime, The Simpsons attacked well-worn satirical fodder from unexpected angles, finding fresh laughs in the hoariest of subjects.}}
- On the fourth of March he was attacked by fever.
- Hydrofluoric acid attacks the glass.
- We´ll have dinner before we attack the biology homework.
- I attacked the meal with a hearty appetite.
citation, page= , passage=Six successive defeats had left them rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table but, clearly under instructions to attack from the outset, Bolton started far the brighter.}}
Synonyms
* See alsoExternal links
* * * 1000 English basic words ----attain
English
Verb
(en verb)- To attain such a high level of proficiency requires hours of practice each day.
- not well attaining his meaning
- Canaan he now attains .
- Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I can not attain unto it.
- if by any means they might attain to Phenice
- Nor nearer might the dogs attain .
- to see your trees attain to the dignity of timber
- Few boroughs had as yet attained to power such as this.
- (Francis Bacon)