Collocations With "ATTACK" in English

ATTACK collocations

attack noun

¹ violence against sb

ADJ.

brutal, frenzied, horrific, savage, serious, vicious, violent | unprovoked | racist, sexual | arson, gun, knife

an increase in knife attacks on police officers

QUANT.

series, spate, wave

VERB + ATTACK

carry out

Two teenagers carried out a frenzied attack on a local shopkeeper.

| be subjected to

He was subjected to a violent attack.

ATTACK + VERB

happen, occur, take place

Where did the attack happen?

PREP.

~ against

vicious attacks against pensioners

| ~ by

an attack by an armed gang

| ~ on

an attack on a bus driver

PHRASES

a victim of an attack

² act of violence in war

ADJ.

all-out, full-scale, major | sustained | surprise | retaliatory | mock | flank, frontal | enemy, guerrilla, terrorist | air, bomb, missile, mortar, nuclear

QUANT.

series

The southern border towns have suffered a series of attacks.

VERB + ATTACK

carry out, launch, lead, make, mount, spearhead

The soldiers mounted an all-out attack on the village.

| come under, suffer

They came under sustained attack from the air.

| repel, repulse, resist | survive, withstand

Most of the population would stand little chance of surviving a nuclear attack.

| press home, renew

Bombers pressed home their attack, causing severe damage to harbour installations.

ATTACK + VERB

happen, occur, take place

The attack took place under cover of darkness.

| fail, succeed

PREP.

under ~

The province has been under attack from the rebels.

| ~ against

attacks against civilians

| ~ by

an attack by rebel forces

| ~ on

an attack on enemy positions

³ criticism

ADJ.

bitter, blistering, fierce, outspoken, savage, scathing, scurrilous, stinging, vigorous | personal

Is this a personal attack on the president, or a criticism of the government?

| concerted | verbal

VERB + ATTACK

deliver, go on the, launch, make, mount, unleash

Doctors have gone on the attack, accusing the government of incompetence.

| come under, provoke

All politicians come under attack for their views. The government's decision has provoked an attack from leaders of the health service.

PREP.

~ on/upon

an attack on my integrity

PHRASES

a/the line of attack

The first line of attack is often name-calling.

| open to attack

He has laid himself wide open to attack.

⁴ sudden illness

ADJ.

acute, sudden | bad, nasty, severe | fatal | mild, slight | recurrent | asthma, heart, panic

a fatal heart attack

VERB + ATTACK

experience, have, suffer (from)

He suffers from attacks of anxiety.

| bring on, cause, trigger

a heart attack brought on by stress

ATTACK + VERB

happen, occur, take place

PREP.

~ of

a sudden attack of nerves

attack verb

¹ use violence

ADV.

brutally, savagely, viciously, violently

She was brutally attacked by two men.

| physically

PREP.

with

He attacked her with a knife.

² criticize

ADV.

fiercely, savagely, sharply, strongly, vigorously

PREP.

for

The police have been strongly attacked for not taking immediate action.

What is a collocation?

A collocation is two or more words that often go together. These combinations (for example collocations with “ATTACK”) just sound “right” to native English speakers, who use them all the time. On the other hand, other combinations of “ATTACK” may be unnatural and just sound “wrong”.

Using collocations list of “ATTACK” improves your English, especially your English speaking skills, and increases your vocabulary words in English.

Why learn collocations with “ATTACK”?

• When using collocations with “ATTACK”, Your language will be more natural and more easily understood.
• You will have alternative and richer ways of expressing yourself.
• It is easier for our brains to remember and use language in chunks or blocks such as Common Collocations with “ATTACK” rather than as single words ( ATTACK | Translation, Meaning in Persian (Farsi) )

How to learn collocations with “ATTACK”?

• Be aware of collocations with ATTACK , and try to recognize them when you see or hear them.
• Treat collocations as single blocks of language. Think of them as individual blocks or chunks, and learn strongly support, not strongly + support.
• When you learn a new word ( e.g. ATTACK | Translation, Meaning in Persian (Farsi) ), write down other words that collocate with it.
• Read as much as possible. Reading is an excellent way to learn vocabulary and collocations of “ATTACK” in context and naturally.
• Revise what you learn regularly. Practice using new collocations with “ATTACK” in context as soon as possible after learning them.
• Learn collocations with “ATTACK” in groups that work for you. You could learn them by topic (time, number, weather, money, family) or by a particular word (take action, take a chance, take an exam).

Types of collocation with “ATTACK”

• adverb + adjective: completely satisfied (NOT downright satisfied)
• adjective + noun: excruciating pain (NOT excruciating joy)
• noun + noun: a surge of anger (NOT a rush of anger)
• noun + verb: lions roar (NOT lions shout)
• verb + noun: commit suicide (NOT undertake suicide)
• verb + expression with preposition: burst into tears (NOT blow up in tears)
• verb + adverb: wave frantically (NOT wave feverishly)

Using Collocations of ATTACK to Boost Your IELTS Score

The correct use of collocations of “ATTACK” is an essential part of improving your English level and boosting your IELTS score. Using collocations + “ATTACK” in sentence examples correctly allows you to write and speak more like a native speaker and they are also one of the things that examiners look out for when marking your tests.

ATTACK Collocation Frequently Asked Questions

Why are ATTACK collocations important? ATTACK collocations are important because they make your language sound natural. If you master ATTACK collocations, your English will be more idiomatic, that is, more similar to the way it is spoken by native speakers. It is acknowledged that knowledge of ATTACK collocations helps to improve learners' language skills, enhance learners' communicative competence, and achieve native-like fluency.