Angriffen

Angriffen is the dative plural form of the German noun Angriff, which denotes an attack or offensive action. The standard nominative plural is Angriffe. Because German uses case forms, Angriffen appears almost exclusively in phrases that require the dative case, such as after the preposition zu (zu den Angriffen) or in clauses using the verb gehören with a dative complement (Zu den Angriffen gehörten …).

Etymology: The noun Angriff comes from the verb angreifen, meaning “to attack.” It is built from the prefix an- plus greifen, which means to seize or grasp. The plural Angriffe (nominative) is used for the subject or object in non-dative positions, while Angriffen is the inflected form used in the dative plural.

Usage: The term is common in military and security contexts, where combinations like Luftangriffe (air attacks) and Gegenangriffe (counterattacks) are widely used. It also appears in sports, journalism, and historical writing to describe offensive actions by opposing sides. In German, Angriffen will typically appear in phrases governed by a dative case, for example after certain prepositions or after connected verbs that require the dative complement. Example sentences include: Zu den Angriffen gehörten Luftangriffe. In den Angriffen der Offensive setzten die Truppen neue Taktiken ein.

See also: Related terms include Angriff, Angriffe, Luftangriffe, Gegenangriffe, and weitere Komposita, die sich auf Angriffe oder Offensiven beziehen.