offensives

noun

plural of offensive
as in attacks
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence the primary offensive by the ground forces will commence at dawn tomorrow

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of offensives Ukraine can conduct localized offensives but not enough to shift the broader battlefield balance, despite mounting Russian losses. — ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026 Only small offensives are possible Ukraine can conduct localized offensives but not enough to shift the broader battlefield balance, despite mounting Russian losses. — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 However, further Houthi offensives have met stiffer resistance from the recuperated forces of the Presidential Leadership Council, depriving the group of another quick victory. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026 With alarm bells ringing over potential Russian offensives — both digital and kinetic — in the coming months, vulnerable European nations must figure out if, and how, to respond. — Rafi Schwartz, TheWeek, 28 Sep. 2026 However, Iran analysts are highly skeptical that Tehran will prove capable of launching any such large-scale ground offensives any time soon. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 Countries are scrambling not to fall behind in AI — and French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are leading a personal charm offensives to court tech CEOs. — Kai Nicol-Schwarz,priyanka Salve, CNBC, 4 July 2026 By targeting logistics hubs and resource stockpiles, Ukraine is attacking the systems that sustain Russian offensives. — Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 9 June 2026 The twin offensives are targeting Hamas and Hezbollah respectively, though critics argue that the operations are motivated at least in part by domestic politics — Israel is due to hold elections by October — and are amplifying troubling humanitarian situations in Gaza and Lebanon. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 29 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for offensives
  1. attacks
  2. raids
  3. assaults
  4. offenses
  5. onslaughts
  6. aggressions
  7. attempts
  8. strikes
Noun
  • In Congo, where the outbreak has spread to seven provinces, responders have faced attacks on health teams, misinformation about the virus, a failure by locals to report symptoms and rebel violence that has limited access to treatment centers.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The question also raised the recent spread of controversies over individual films into attacks on cast and crew and campaigns to halt screenings.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of attacks
Noun
  • When compared to Operation Free MacArthur Park's summer raids, Hochman said Skid Row covers a 50-city-block area, making the park's enforcement almost like a test run for Thursday's massive operation.
    — Julie Sharp, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Thursday’s raids stretched from Simi Valley to West Covina, targeting homes, a storefront downtown and numerous vehicles.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of raids
Noun
  • Over the same period, CATS reported 10 assaults, or less than four per every 10 million passenger trips, on the light rail, data CATS submitted to the federal government shows.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Moscow and Kyiv have intensified their aerial assaults as progress along the 750-mile front line has largely ground to a halt.
    — HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of assaults
Noun
  • The lawsuit asks the court to find the DNA Act and its implementing regulations unconstitutional and stop the routine collection of DNA from individuals arrested for non-serious offenses, like their plaintiffs.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The prosecutor’s statements did not establish that Roberts had committed new offenses, and the available court documents do not indicate whether additional charges have been filed in connection with those suspicions.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of offenses
Noun
  • In fact, reported evidence suggests this software commitment (from a company making its revenue from hardware) has been crucial to Nvidia’s success in fending off onslaughts from other hardware vendors such as Intel.
    — Nisha Talagala, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Ukraine has been largely helpless in similar Russian onslaughts in recent weeks.
    — Tom Bowman, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of onslaughts
Noun
  • As quotas for immigration arrests increased that spring, he was asked to press felony charges for even minor aggressions against agents.
    — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The United States deploys about 28,500 troops in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggressions from North Korea.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of aggressions
Noun
  • Trump’s attempts to fire Cook from the Fed’s seven-member board of governors represent the first time in the central bank’s 113-year history that a president has sought to remove a Fed governor.
    — Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • If anything, Trump’s escalating attempts to strong-arm people into a supposedly nicer term for AI makes him — and the industry itself — look awfully weak.
    — Adi Robertson, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of attempts
Noun
  • Student and teacher unions have called for another round of nationwide school strikes next Tuesday.
    — Makini Brice, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Gulf states could manage to secure a separate diplomatic solution with Iran, analysts say, or escalate their military strikes to eliminate Houthi leadership.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of strikes

Browse Nearby Words

offensiveness
offensives
offer
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Cite this Entry

“Offensives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/offensives. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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