Attack
Attack verb - To take sudden, violent action against.
Usage example: our dog unexpectedly attacked the mailman, sinking his teeth into the startled man's leg
Turn on and attack are semantically related. in assault physically topic. In some cases you can use "Turn on" instead a verb "Attack".
Turn on
Turn on verb - To take sudden, violent action against.
Usage example: it is dangerous to keep tigers as house pets, as they often turn on their masters without warning
Both terms in one sentence
- Alice Cooper sings about how his dog and cat turn on and attack him in the final verse of "No More Mister Nice Guy".
Source: Evil-Detecting Dog - They later turn on the humans and attack everyone except Parental Substitute Owen.
- You have no weapon, but the robots will attack and annihilate each other before they ever turn on you!
Cite this Source
Turn on and Attack. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/attack/turn_on
Attack & Turn on. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/attack/turn_on>.
Turn on or Attack. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/attack/turn_on.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "attack" and "turn on" have occurred on timeline