: an especially fierce attack
… the tremendous onslaught across the Rhine …—
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
also
: something resembling such an attack
an onslaught of technological changes
Employers are expecting an onslaught of recent college graduates.
Synonyms of onslaught
Examples of onslaught in a Sentence
an onslaught by the enemy
the massive onslaught of enemy troops caught the country by surprise
Recent Examples on the Web
In Texas, ranchers are bracing for an onslaught of screwworms, the flesh-eating maggots of blowflies.
—
Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
Torres lamented that the nation’s landmark semiquincentennial comes amid a fever pitch of anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States, marked by a rise in xenophobia and an onslaught of attempts to restrict newcomers here and abroad.
—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2026
The Royals used the majority of their bullpen in the onslaught.
—
Kansas City Star,
27 June 2026
The onslaught of games during this group stage has meant the day’s action often starts with lunch and is still going long after much of the country is asleep.
—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
27 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for onslaught
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
Torres lamented that the nation’s landmark semiquincentennial comes amid a fever pitch of anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States, marked by a rise in xenophobia and an onslaught of attempts to restrict newcomers here and abroad.
—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
28 June 2026
The Royals used the majority of their bullpen in the onslaught.
—
Kansas City Star,
27 June 2026
The onslaught of games during this group stage has meant the day’s action often starts with lunch and is still going long after much of the country is asleep.
—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
27 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for onslaught
Cite this Entry
“Onslaught.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/onslaught. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
onslaught
noun
on·slaught
ˈän-ˌslȯt 
ˈȯn-
: a violent attack
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
