The noun attack has 9 senses (first 8 from tagged texts)
1. (419) attack, onslaught, onset, onrush -- ((military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons); "the attack began at dawn")
2. (177) attack -- (a sudden occurrence of an uncontrollable condition; "an attack of diarrhea")
3. (141) fire, attack, flak, flack, blast -- (intense adverse criticism; "Clinton directed his fire at the Republican Party"; "the government has come under attack"; "don't give me any flak")
4. (107) attack, attempt -- (the act of attacking; "attacks on women increased last year"; "they made an attempt on his life")
5. (56) attack -- (an offensive move in a sport or game; "they won the game with a 10-hit attack in the 9th inning")
6. (17) attack -- (the onset of a corrosive or destructive process (as by a chemical agent); "the film was sensitive to attack by acids"; "open to attack by the elements")
7. (6) approach, attack, plan of attack -- (ideas or actions intended to deal with a problem or situation; "his approach to every problem is to draw up a list of pros and cons"; "an attack on inflation"; "his plan of attack was misguided")
8. (2) attack, tone-beginning -- (a decisive manner of beginning a musical tone or phrase)
9. attack -- (strong criticism; "he published an unexpected attack on my work")
Overview of verb attack
The verb attack has 6 senses (first 5 from tagged texts)
1. (22) attack, assail -- (launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with; "Hitler attacked Poland on September 1, 1939 and started World War II"; "Serbian forces assailed Bosnian towns all week")
2. (9) attack, round, assail, lash out, snipe, assault -- (attack in speech or writing; "The editors of the left-leaning paper attacked the new House Speaker")
3. (8) attack, aggress -- (take the initiative and go on the offensive; "The Serbs attacked the village at night"; "The visiting team started to attack")
4. (4) assail, assault, set on, attack -- (attack someone physically or emotionally; "The mugger assaulted the woman"; "Nightmares assailed him regularly")
5. (1) attack -- (set to work upon; turn one's energies vigorously to a task; "I attacked the problem as soon as I got out of bed")
6. attack -- (begin to injure; "The cancer cells are attacking his liver"; "Rust is attacking the metal")