Dictionary

preattack en · ADJ

Etymology

From pre- + attack.

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) Before an attack.
   • White House complaints that homeland defense would be threatened are, in fact, contradicted by the history of 9/11 and the F.B.I. field agent whose preattack warnings to superiors went unheeded. 2007 December 27, “Protection for Endangered Whistle-Blowers”, in New York Times:
   • In contrast to cyberprotection, cyberresilience anticipates that a cyberattack will succeed. It has in place methods for rapid detection, cushioning the effects and quickly restoring systems to their pre-attack state. 2022 September 30, Michael Coden, “Letters: Against Cyberattacks”, in The New York Times:

Forms