present participle or gerund
Using violence against someone or something to hurt or damage them.
The dog is attacking my neighbor.
The soldiers are attacking the town.
American English
How to pronounce attacking
verb · adjectiveB1Very common word
uhTAAkihng
/əˈtʰæ.kɪŋ/
3 syllables · Stress the second syllable.
Form of attack
Using violence against someone or something to hurt or damage them.
Practice out loudMeanings & examples
participial adjective
Trying to hurt or damage someone or something.
The attacking dog was held back by its owner.
The attacking soldiers moved toward the village.
present participle or gerund
Criticizing a person, idea, or plan very strongly.
The article is attacking the mayor's decision.
The candidates are attacking each other's records.
participial adjective
Aggressive and strongly critical of a person, idea, or plan.
The editorial used an attacking tone.
Her attacking comments upset the mayor.
Useful expressions
to be attacked or strongly criticized
The company came under attack online.
a serious medical problem in which the heart does not get enough blood
He had a heart attack last year.
to begin an attack
The army launched an attack at dawn.
Related words & forms
In attacked and attacking, double the final k: attacked, attacking.