Strike vs. Attack — What's the Difference?

A deliberate action aimed at a specific target in a military context.

An aggressive action or movement in military or personal defense.

A targeted or precise hit in combat or sports.

A sudden onset of disease or illness.

An action in baseball where the batter misses the ball.

The act of aggressively challenging or confronting an issue.

A cessation of work by employees as a protest.

A strategy involving aggressive play in sports.

A term in bowling when all pins are knocked down with the first ball.

A critical remark or attempt to ruin someone's reputation.

To hit sharply, as with a hand, fist, weapon, or implement

To set upon with violent force.

To inflict (a blow).

To criticize strongly or in a hostile manner.

To penetrate or pierce

To start work on with purpose and vigor

To collide with or crash into

To act on in a detrimental way; cause harm to

To cause to come into violent or forceful contact

To play (the ball) aggressively, especially by moving toward it rather than by waiting for it to arrive.

To thrust (a weapon, for example) in or into someone or something

To move toward (the goal) on an offensive play, as in lacrosse.

To damage or destroy, as by forceful contact

In volleyball, to hit (the ball) forcefully over the net.

To make a military attack on; assault.

To make a sudden, intense effort to pass (a competitor in a race).

To afflict suddenly, as with a disease or impairment

To make an attack; launch an assault

To cause to become suddenly in a certain way

To make a play on offense; attempt to score.

To snap at or seize (a bait).

To make a sudden, intense effort to pull ahead in a race.

To hook (a fish that has taken the bait) by a pull on the line.

The act or an instance of attacking; an assault.

To wound by biting. Used especially of a snake.

An expression of strong criticism; hostile comment

To form by stamping, printing, or punching

Offensive play, especially in lacrosse.

To produce or play by manipulating strings or keys

An offensive play

To indicate by a percussive or chiming sound

The players executing such a play.

To produce as if by playing a musical instrument

Scoring ability or potential

To produce by friction or a blow

A forceful shot over the net in volleyball.

To produce flame, light, or a spark by friction

A sudden, intense effort to pull ahead in a race

To remove or separate suddenly, as with a blow

The initial movement in a task or undertaking

To eliminate or expunge

A method or procedure

To come upon (a mineral deposit) by effort; discover

An episode or onset of a disease, especially an occurrence of a chronic disease

To come to; reach or attain

The experience or beginning of a feeling, need, or desire

To fall upon; shine on

(Music) The beginning or manner of beginning a piece, passage, or tone.

To become audible to

Decisiveness and clarity in artistic expression

To affect keenly or forcibly; impress

An attempt to cause damage, injury to, or death of opponent or enemy.

To enter the mind of

An attempt to detract from the worth or credibility of, a person, position, idea, object, or thing, by physical, verbal, emotional, or other assault.

To cause (a strong emotion) to penetrate deeply

A time in which one attacks; the offence of a battle.

To affect or overcome with strong emotion

The beginning of active operations on anything.

To make and confirm the terms of (a bargain).

(computing) An attempt to exploit a vulnerability in a computer system.

To achieve (a balance, for example) by careful consideration.

(cricket) Collectively, the bowlers of a cricket side.

To position one's body in (a pose, for example); assume.

(volleyball) Any contact with the ball other than a serve or block which sends the ball across the plane of the net.

To haul down (a mast or sail).

(lacrosse) The three attackmen on the field or all the attackmen of a team.

To lower (a flag or sail) in salute or surrender.

(medicine) The sudden onset of a disease or condition.

To lower (cargo) into a hold.

An active episode of a chronic or recurrent disease.

To remove (theatrical properties, a set, or technical equipment) from a stage.

(music) The onset of a musical note, particularly with respect to the strength (and duration) of that onset.

To dismantle and pack up for departure

(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 undertake a strike against (an employer).

(transitive) To apply violent force to someone or something.

To level or even (a measure, as of grain).

(transitive) To aggressively challenge a person, idea, etc., with words (particularly in newspaper headlines, because it typesets into less space than "criticize" or similar).

To smooth or shape with a strickle.

(transitive) To begin to affect; to act upon injuriously or destructively; to begin to decompose or waste.

To send (plant roots) out or down.

(transitive) To deal with something in a direct way; to set to work upon.

To cause (a plant cutting) to take root.

To aim balls at the batsman’s wicket.

To deal a blow or blows, as with the fist or a weapon; hit.

To set a field, or bowl in a manner designed to get wickets.

To aim a stroke or blow

To bat aggressively, so as to score runs quickly.

To make contact suddenly or violently; collide

(soccer) To move forward in an active attempt to score a point, as opposed to trying not to concede.

To begin a military attack

(cycling) To accelerate quickly in an attempt to get ahead of the other riders.

(Sports) To score a goal

(chemistry) (Of a chemical species) To approach a chemical species or bond in order to form a bond with it.

To penetrate or pierce

To fall upon with force; to assail, as with force and arms; to assault.

To take bait

To assail with unfriendly speech or writing; to begin a controversy with; to attempt to overthrow or bring into disrepute, by criticism or satire; to censure; as, to attack a man, or his opinions, in a pamphlet.

To dart or shoot suddenly forward in an attempt to inflict a bite or wound. Used of snakes and wild animals.

To set to work upon, as upon a task or problem, or some object of labor or investigation.

To set out or proceed, especially in a new direction

To begin to affect; to begin to act upon, injuriously or destructively; to begin to decompose or waste.

To begin to move

To make an onset or attack.

To send out roots.

The act of attacking, or falling on with force or violence; an onset; an assault; - opposed to defense.

To sprout.

An assault upon one's feelings or reputation with unfriendly or bitter words.

To indicate the time by making a percussive or chiming sound

A setting to work upon some task, etc.

To become indicated by a percussive or chiming sound

An access of disease; a fit of sickness.

To become ignited.

The beginning of corrosive, decomposing, or destructive action, by a chemical agent.

To discover something suddenly or unexpectedly

(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons);

To fall, as light or sound

A sudden occurrence of an uncontrollable condition;

To have an effect; make an impression.

Intense adverse criticism;

To engage in a strike against an employer.

The act of attacking;

To interrupt by pushing oneself forward

An offensive move in a sport or game;

To strive diligently for a specific technical rating in the US Navy.

The onset of a corrosive or destructive process (as by a chemical agent);

An act or gesture of striking.

Ideas or actions intended to deal with a problem or situation;

An attack, especially a military air attack on a single group of targets.

A decisive manner of beginning a musical tone or phrase

(Sports) A scoring attempt, often resulting in a goal.

Strong criticism;

A cessation of work by employees in support of demands made on their employer, as for higher pay or improved conditions.

Launch an attack or assault on; begin hostilities or start warfare with;

A temporary stoppage of normal activity undertaken as a protest.

Attack in speech or writing;

A sudden achievement or valuable discovery, as of a precious mineral.

Take the initiative and go on the offensive;

The taking of bait by a fish.

Attack someone physically or emotionally;

A pull on a fishing line indicating this.

Set to work upon; turn one's energies vigorously to a task;

A quantity of coins or medals struck at the same time.

Begin to injure;

(Baseball) A pitched ball that is counted against the batter, typically one that is swung at and missed, fouled off, or judged to have passed through the strike zone.

A perfectly thrown ball

An unfavorable condition, circumstance, or characteristic; a disadvantage

The knocking down of all the pins in bowling with the first bowl of a frame.

The score so made.

The taking root and growing of a plant cutting.

(Geology) The course or bearing of a structural surface, such as an inclined bed, as it intersects a horizontal plane.

The removal of all properties, sets, and technical equipment following a final performance, as of a play or concert.

A strickle.

A device serving the functions of a strike plate, especially one that can be electronically released to allow access.

To delete or cross out; to scratch or eliminate.

(physical) To have a sharp or sudden effect.

(transitive) To hit.

(transitive) To give, as a blow; to impel, as with a blow; to give a force to; to dash; to cast.

(intransitive) To deliver a quick blow or thrust; to give blows.

(transitive) To manufacture, as by stamping.

To run upon a rock or bank; to be stranded; to run aground.

(transitive) To cause to sound by one or more beats; to indicate or notify by audible strokes. Of a clock, to announce (an hour of the day), usually by one or more sounds.

(intransitive) To sound by percussion, with blows, or as if with blows.

(transitive) To cause or produce by a stroke, or suddenly, as by a stroke.

(transitive) To cause to ignite by friction.

(transitive) To thrust in; to cause to enter or penetrate.

To have a sharp or severe effect.

(transitive) To punish; to afflict; to smite.

(intransitive) To carry out a violent or illegal action.

(intransitive) To act suddenly, especially in a violent or criminal way.

To impinge upon.

(intransitive) To stop working as a protest to achieve better working conditions.

To quit (one's job).

(transitive) To impress, seem or appear (to).

(transitive) To create an impression.

(sports) To score a goal.

To make a sudden impression upon, as if by a blow; to affect with some strong emotion.

To affect by a sudden impression or impulse.

To steal or rob; to take forcibly or fraudulently.

To borrow money from; to make a demand upon.

To touch; to act by appulse.

(transitive) To take down, especially in the following contexts.

(nautical) To haul down or lower (a flag, mast, etc.)

(by extension) To capitulate; to signal a surrender by hauling down the colours.

To dismantle and take away (a theater set; a tent; etc.).

To unfasten, to loosen (chains, bonds, etc.).

(intransitive) To set off on a walk or trip.

(intransitive) To pass with a quick or strong effect; to dart; to penetrate.

(dated) To break forth; to commence suddenly; with into.

(intransitive) To become attached to something; said of the spat of oysters.

To make and ratify.

To level (a measure of grain, salt, etc.) with a straight instrument, scraping off what is above the level of the top.

(masonry) To cut off (a mortar joint, etc.) even with the face of the wall, or inward at a slight angle.

To hit upon, or light upon, suddenly.

To lade thickened sugar cane juice from a teache into a cooler.

To stroke or pass lightly; to wave.

(obsolete) To advance; to cause to go forward; used only in the past participle.

To balance (a ledger or account).

To discover a source of something, often a buried raw material such as ore (especially gold) or crude oil.

(baseball) A status resulting from a batter swinging and missing a pitch, or not swinging at a pitch when the ball goes in the strike zone, or hitting a foul ball that is not caught.

(bowling) The act of knocking down all ten pins in on the first roll of a frame.

A work stoppage (or otherwise concerted stoppage of an activity) as a form of protest.

A blow or application of physical force against something.

(finance) In an option contract, the price at which the holder buys or sells if they choose to exercise the option.

(historical) An old English measure of corn equal to the bushel.

(cricket) The status of being the batsman that the bowler is bowling at.

The primary face of a hammer, opposite the peen.

(geology) The compass direction of the line of intersection between a rock layer and the surface of the Earth.

An instrument with a straight edge for levelling a measure of grain, salt, etc., scraping off what is above the level of the top; a strickle.

(obsolete) Fullness of measure; the whole amount produced at one time.

Excellence; quality.

An iron pale or standard in a gate or fence.

(ironworking) A puddler's stirrer.

(obsolete) The extortion of money, or the attempt to extort money, by threat of injury; blackmail.

The discovery of a source of something.

The strike plate of a door.

(fishing) A nibble on the bait by a fish.

(philately) A cancellation postmark.

To touch or hit with some force, either with the hand or with an instrument; to smite; to give a blow to, either with the hand or with any instrument or missile.

To come in collision with; to strike against; as, a bullet struck him; the wave struck the boat amidships; the ship struck a reef.

To give, as a blow; to impel, as with a blow; to give a force to; to dash; to cast.

To stamp or impress with a stroke; to coin; as, to strike coin from metal: to strike dollars at the mint.

To thrust in; to cause to enter or penetrate; to set in the earth; as, a tree strikes its roots deep.

To punish; to afflict; to smite.

To cause to sound by one or more beats; to indicate or notify by audible strokes; as, the clock strikes twelve; the drums strike up a march.

To lower; to let or take down; to remove; as, to strike sail; to strike a flag or an ensign, as in token of surrender; to strike a yard or a topmast in a gale; to strike a tent; to strike the centering of an arch.

To make a sudden impression upon, as by a blow; to affect sensibly with some strong emotion; as, to strike the mind, with surprise; to strike one with wonder, alarm, dread, or horror.

To affect in some particular manner by a sudden impression or impulse; as, the plan proposed strikes me favorably; to strike one dead or blind.

To cause or produce by a stroke, or suddenly, as by a stroke; as, to strike a light.

To cause to ignite; as, to strike a match.

To make and ratify; as, to strike a bargain.

To take forcibly or fraudulently; as, to strike money.

To level, as a measure of grain, salt, or the like, by scraping off with a straight instrument what is above the level of the top.

To cut off, as a mortar joint, even with the face of the wall, or inward at a slight angle.

To hit upon, or light upon, suddenly; as, my eye struck a strange word; they soon struck the trail.

To borrow money of; to make a demand upon; as, he struck a friend for five dollars.

To lade into a cooler, as a liquor.

To stroke or pass lightly; to wave.

To advance; to cause to go forward; - used only in past participle.

To move; to advance; to proceed; to take a course; as, to strike into the fields.

To deliver a quick blow or thrust; to give blows.

To hit; to collide; to dush; to clash; as, a hammer strikes against the bell of a clock.

To sound by percussion, with blows, or as with blows; to be struck; as, the clock strikes.

To make an attack; to aim a blow.

To touch; to act by appulse.

To run upon a rock or bank; to be stranded; as, the ship struck in the night.

To pass with a quick or strong effect; to dart; to penetrate.

To break forth; to commence suddenly; - with into; as, to strike into reputation; to strike into a run.

To lower a flag, or colors, in token of respect, or to signify a surrender of a ship to an enemy.

To quit work in order to compel an increase, or prevent a reduction, of wages.

To become attached to something; - said of the spat of oysters.

To steal money.

The act of striking.

An instrument with a straight edge for leveling a measure of grain, salt, and the like, scraping off what is above the level of the top; a strickle.

A bushel; four pecks.

An old measure of four bushels.

Fullness of measure; hence, excellence of quality.

An iron pale or standard in a gate or fence.

The act of quitting work; specifically, such an act by a body of workmen, usually organized by a labor union, done as a means of enforcing compliance with demands made on their employer.

A puddler's stirrer.

The horizontal direction of the outcropping edges of tilted rocks; or, the direction of a horizontal line supposed to be drawn on the surface of a tilted stratum. It is at right angles to the dip.

The extortion of money, or the attempt to extort money, by threat of injury; blackmailing.

A sudden finding of rich ore in mining; hence, any sudden success or good fortune, esp. financial.

The act of leveling all the pins with the first bowl; also, the score thus made. Sometimes called double spare. Throwing a strike entitles the player to add to the score for that frame the total number of pins knocked down in the next two bowls.

Any actual or constructive striking at the pitched ball, three of which, if the ball is not hit fairly, cause the batter to be put out; hence, any of various acts or events which are ruled as equivalent to such a striking, as failing to strike at a ball so pitched that the batter should have struck at it.

Same as Ten-strike.

A group's refusal to work in protest against low pay or bad work conditions;

An attack that is intended to seize or inflict damage on or destroy an objective;

A pitch that is in the strike zone and that the batter does not hit;

A gentle blow

A score in tenpins: knocking down all ten with the first ball;

A conspicuous success;

Hit against; come into sudden contact with;

Deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon;

Have an emotional or cognitive impact upon;

Make a strategic, offensive, assault against an enemy, opponent, or a target;

Indicate (a certain time) by striking;

Affect or afflict suddenly, usually adversely;

Stop work in order to press demands;

Touch or seem as if touching visually or audibly;

Attain;

Produce by manipulating keys or strings of musical instruments, also metaphorically;

Cause to form between electrodes of an arc lamp;

Find unexpectedly;

Produce by ignition or a blow;

Remove by erasing or crossing out;

Cause to experience suddenly;

Drive something violently into a location;

Occupy or take on;

Form by stamping, punching, or printing;

Smooth with a strickle;

Pierce with force;

Arrive at after reckoning, deliberating, and weighing;

A strike is typically a targeted military action, while an attack might involve a broader offensive.

Attacks can be physical, verbal, psychological, or digital, depending on the context.

They can overlap, but "strike" usually refers to a specific action, whereas "attack" refers to an overall strategy.

In labor, a strike refers to workers stopping work to protest against working conditions or policies.

A strike is a precise, targeted action, while an attack is broader and more aggressive.

Going on strike can bring attention to grievances, pushing for negotiations or changes in policies.

Strike techniques are crucial for self-defense and competitive fighting, focusing on precision and effectiveness.

A strike typically involves specific targets with limited scope, while an attack might employ multiple tactics and broader objectives.

A simple example is when employees at a store refuse to work to protest unfair labor practices.

The choice depends on the goals, with attacks typically chosen for broader impacts or when a more forceful action is necessary.

No, in many contexts, like labor strikes or certain tactical strikes, the action is strategic rather than violent.

The response depends on the type of attack, ranging from seeking safety, defending oneself, or contacting authorities.

Yes, many countries have laws that protect the right to strike, although the specifics can vary widely.

Yes, attacks can be verbal, such as slander, or digital, such as cyber-attacks.

An attack can create fear, disrupt normal life, and necessitate a coordinated response or recovery effort.