aggressor

Everyday

An aggressor is a person, group or country that starts a fight, attack or war. tree →

In the lessons

In history and news, the aggressor is the side that attacked first. In school fights and in lessons about fairness, teachers try to find out who was the aggressor and who was defending. Phrases: «the aggressor», «act as aggressor», «unprovoked aggressor».

Examples

• The teacher asked who was the aggressor in the fight. tree →
• In the war, the invading country was the aggressor. tree →
• He wasn't the aggressor; he was only defending himself. tree →
• The aggressor pushed first and then ran away. tree →
• Countries came together to stop the aggressor. tree →
• Usually the aggressor is not the one who gets most hurt. tree →

Note

Countable noun. From «aggression» (attacking behaviour). Opposite: victim, defender. Spelling: two g's and two s's: aGGreSSor. Trap: the aggressor is not always the one who hits hardest; it is the one who started it.