offensives
Coordinated military attacks
Offensives are major military attacks or campaigns intended to advance against an enemy: The spring offensives failed to break through enemy lines.
The word appears almost exclusively in military contexts, often modified by season or location: the Tet Offensive, a series of winter offensives.
Outside warfare, offensive (singular) describes aggressive initiatives: a charm offensive, a marketing offensive.
Organized efforts toward goals
- operationsPlanned systematic activities
- attacksAggressive hostile actions
- assaultsViolent physical attacks
- strikesRefusals to work collectively
advances · pushes · maneuvers · sorties · incursions · blitzes · surges · counterattacks
Staged dramatic works
- drivesMoves or compels
- possessionsThings one owns
- attacksAggressive hostile actions
- rushesMoves very quickly
scoring · formations · strategies · blitzes · schemes · lineups · series · sequences
campaigns
Organized efforts toward goals
- operationsPlanned systematic activities
- attacksAggressive hostile actions
- assaultsViolent physical attacks
strikes · advances · pushes · maneuvers · sorties · incursions · blitzes · surges · counterattacks · invasions
plays
Staged dramatic works
- drivesMoves or compels
- possessionsThings one owns
- attacksAggressive hostile actions
rushes · scoring · formations · strategies · blitzes · schemes · lineups · series · sequences · advances
slurs
Demeaning identity-based insults
- epithetsCharacterizing phrases for people
- remarksSpoken comments or notes
- commentsSpoken or written reactions
statements · language · jokes · gestures · words · expressions · behavior · content · material · speech
- warfarebattle, combat, attack, war, armed conflict
- American WWIdoughboys, General Pershing, Argonne, Western Front, over there
- Eastern FrontStalingrad, Kursk, Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev
- WWI Western Fronttrenches, front lines, frontline, poison gas, artillery barrages
- Isonzo Fronttrench warfare, mountain warfare, mountain troops, Asiago, Diaz
offensivesdefensive maneuvers
Tactics for self-protection
defensive measures · defenses · counteroffensives · holding actions · rearguard actions
offensivesretreats
Backs off or sanctuaries
withdrawals · pullbacks · evacuations · fallbacks · disengagements
offensivescontainment
Preventing hostile expansion
deterrence · resistance · protective measures · garrison duty · peacekeeping
- offensive lineFootball's protective forward squad
- offensive foulsViolations by attacking player
- offensive strategyPlan for aggression
- offensive languageHurtful or vulgar speech
- charm offensiveCalculated effort to please
- offensive remarksLanguage meant to hurt