attacker

attacker — noun

1. a person who tries to harm someone by hitting them or using other violence

1.nounB2
Definition

a person who tries to harm someone by hitting them or using other violence

Example

Police arrested the attacker outside the station before sunrise.

common object: arrest the attacker

A shop worker chased the attacker down the busy street.

Common collocations
  • masked attacker
  • unknown attacker
  • arrest the attacker
  • identify the attacker
Synonyms
  • assailant

    more formal and common in legal or news writing

  • aggressor

    stresses that the person starts the violence or conflict

  • mugger

    narrower; specifically someone who attacks and robs a person in public

Antonyms
  • defender

    someone protecting a person or place from harm

Usage Note

Often used in news and police reports. Distinguish from noun/2, which is about an offensive player in sport rather than a violent criminal.

2. a player whose job is to move the ball forward, score, or create chances for tea

2.nounB2
Definition

a player whose job is to move the ball forward, score, or create chances for teammates

Example

The attacker scored twice before halftime in the cup final.

pattern: attacker + scored

Our fastest attacker stayed wide and crossed the ball early.

collocation: fastest attacker

Common collocations
  • main attacker
  • wide attacker
  • fast attacker
  • attacker scored
Synonyms
  • forward

    a standard position name in many team sports

  • striker

    usually a goal-scoring attacker, especially in football

  • offensive player

    broader and more descriptive, often used in American English

Antonyms
  • defender

    a player whose main job is to stop attacks

Usage Note

Common in British sports reporting, especially football. In some sports or varieties of English, more specific words such as striker or forward may be preferred.

Common Mistakes

The attacker protected the goal all game.
The defender protected the goal all game.
an attacker tries to score, not stop the other team from scoring.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun sense 1, attacker is the most general everyday word for someone who uses violence against a person or place. Assailant is more formal and often appears in police reports or court writing. Aggressor is useful when you want to stress who started the violence or conflict, including in political or military contexts. Mugger is much narrower: it usually means someone who attacks a person in public in order to steal. A news report might say police are searching for an attacker or an assailant. If you want to stress blame, say the aggressor. If a thief hit someone for a wallet, mugger is the best choice.

assailantaggressormugger

Etymology

ItalianFrenchEnglish

Attacker was formed in English from attack and the ending -er, which is used for a person who does an action. Attack came into English through French from an Italian verb meaning to fasten or move against.