Defeat vs Attack - What's the difference?
defeat | attack |
To overcome in battle or contest.
To reduce, to nothing, the strength of.
* Tillotson
* A. W. Ward
To nullify
* Hallam
The act of defeating or being defeated.
* {{quote-news
, year=2012
, date=May 13
, author=Alistair Magowan
, title=Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd
, work=BBC Sport
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
In transitive terms the difference between defeat and attack
is that defeat is to reduce, to nothing, the strength of while attack is to deal with something in a direct way; to set to work upon.defeat
English
Verb
(en verb)- Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.
- He finds himself naturally to dread a superior Being that can defeat all his designs, and disappoint all his hopes.
- In one instance he defeated his own purpose.
- The escheators defeated the right heir of his succession.
Synonyms
(To overcome in contest) * beat * conquer * overthrow * rout * vanquishNoun
(en noun)citation, page= , passage=Two defeats in five games coming into this contest, and a draw with Everton, ultimately cost Sir Alex Ferguson's side in what became the most extraordinary finale to the league championship since Arsenal beat Liverpool at Anfield in 1989.}}
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.}}