a decisive manner of beginning a musical tone or phrase
an offensive move in a sport or game; "they won the game with a 10-hit attack in the 9th inning"
the act of attacking; "attacks on women increased last year"; "they made an attempt on his life"
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons); "the attack began at dawn"
strong criticism; "he published an unexpected attack on my work"
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"
a sudden occurrence of an uncontrollable condition; "an attack of diarrhea"
begin to injure; "The cancer cells are attacking his liver"; "Rust is attacking the metal"
set to work upon; turn one's energies vigorously to a task; "I attacked the problem as soon as I got out of bed"
attack in speech or writing; "The editors of the left-leaning paper attacked the new House Speaker"
take the initiative and go on the offensive; "The Serbs attacked the village at night"; "The visiting team started to attack"
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"
a disagreement or argument about something important; "he had a dispute with his wife"; "there were irreconcilable differences"; "the familiar conflict between Republicans and Democrats"
become more intense; "The debate intensified"; "His dislike for raw fish only deepened in Japan"
make more intense, stronger, or more marked; "The efforts were intensified", "Her rudeness intensified his dislike for her"; "Pot smokers claim it heightens their awareness"; "This event only deepened my convictions"
make the chemically affected part of (a negative) denser or more opaque in order produce a stronger contrast between light and dark
protection from harm; "sanitation is the best defense against disease"
military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies; "they died in the defense of Stalingrad"; "they were developed for the defense program"
a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against him; "he gave evidence for the defense"
the justification for some act or belief; "he offered a persuasive defense of the theory"
an organization of defenders that provides resistance against attack; "he joined the defense against invasion"
the defendant and his legal advisors collectively; "the defense called for a mistrial"
(sports) the team that is trying to prevent the other team from scoring; "his teams are always good on defense"