attack

Compared meaning: a violent attack against someone or something (noun).

比较义项：猛烈的攻击、进攻（名词）。

• attack 本词

  A neutral, general word for a violent action against someone; it can be sudden or planned, physical or verbal, small or large in scale, and is the everyday default term for any assault.

  语气中性、泛指的词，用来描述针对某人的暴力行为；可以是突然的或有预谋的，身体上的或言语上的，规模或大或小，是日常描述“攻击”时最常用的默认词。

  The general ordered a surprise attack at dawn.

  将军下令在黎明发动一次突袭（attack）。

• onslaught

  Emphasizes overwhelming force, ferocity, or relentlessness; often used for a fierce attack or a sudden flood of something unpleasant, such as criticism or questions, and rarely for one small act.

  强调攻势猛烈、凶猛或持续不断；常用来形容一次凶猛的攻击，或形容突然涌来的大量令人不快之事，例如批评或提问的猛攻，很少用于描述单一的小规模行为。

  She braced herself for the onslaught of questions from reporters.

  她做好准备，迎接记者们如潮水般涌来的onslaught（连番提问）。

Attack and onslaught both mean a violent action, but attack is the neutral, everyday word, small or large, physical or verbal. Onslaught stresses overwhelming force and ferocity, or a fierce, often sudden rush of something unpleasant, like criticism or questions, not just one small act.

这两个词都表示“攻击”，但attack是中性、泛指的词，可大可小，可以是身体上的也可以是言语上的；onslaught则强调攻势猛烈、来势汹汹，常用于描述大规模或密集涌来的攻击（如批评、提问的猛攻）。这两个词在词库中都只对应这一个义项，没有需要排除的其他义项。

Compared meaning: to use violence against someone (verb).

比较义项：使用暴力攻击某人（动词）。

• attack 本词

  The general, neutral word for violent action against someone; used in ordinary, military, sports and even verbal contexts. Common collocations: attack someone/something, come under attack, launch an attack.

  attack是最普通、语气中性的词，可用于日常、军事、体育甚至言语攻击等多种语境，常见搭配有attack someone、attack something、come under attack、launch an attack。

  A stray dog attacked the mailman on his morning round.

  一只流浪狗在邮递员晨间投递时攻击了他。

• assault

  More formal, often legal or crime-report register; suggests a sudden, violent, usually unlawful attack on a person, frequently physical or sexual, common in police and news language.

  assault语气更正式，常见于法律和治安报道语境，指突然而暴力、通常违法的攻击，多涉及人身或性方面的侵害，常见于“被控assault”等警方与新闻用语。

  The two men were charged after they assaulted a stranger outside the bar.

  这两名男子因在酒吧外袭击一名陌生人而被起诉。

• assail

  Formal, literary word suggesting a forceful, often repeated or overwhelming attack; frequently used figuratively for non-physical forces like doubts, criticism or weather, rather than everyday physical violence.

  assail是正式且偏文学化的词，表示猛烈、常常持续不断或令人难以招架的攻击，也常用于比喻义，形容疑虑、批评或恶劣天气等对人造成的“侵袭”，而非日常的人身暴力。

  Fierce winds assailed the climbers as they neared the summit.

  猛烈的狂风在登山者接近顶峰时向他们袭来。

Attack, assault, and assail mean using violence against someone. Attack is neutral and common. Assault is formal, often legal, for a sudden, unlawful attack. Assail is formal, literary, often figurative, for doubts or weather. Not covered: attack meaning criticize, and assault as a legal noun.

这三个词在此义项上都表示暴力攻击某人，但语气和使用场合不同：attack最常见、语气中性；assault语气更正式，常见于法律与治安语境；assail语气正式且偏文学化，更常用于比喻义，如疑虑、批评或恶劣天气等对人的“侵袭”。这里不比较attack作“抨击、批评”或体育“进攻”讲的用法，也不比较assault作“人身侵犯”法律罪名的名词用法。