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rush hour
noun
: a period of the day when the demands especially of traffic or business are at a peak
Examples of rush hour in a Sentence
We got caught in the morning rush hour.
Recent Examples on the Web
Utilities charge less for power overnight, and transit agencies impose higher fares during rush hour to encourage users to shift toward off-peak times, when energy and trains are in less demand.
—Lydia Depillis Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Interstate 95 southbound lanes reopened about an hour after a rush hour crash partially shut down the highway near Miami Gardens early Friday morning, according to authorities.
—Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
In 2007, the I-35 bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed during rush hour, killing 13 people.
—Zachary Folk, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Far more motorists would have surely died had the collision happened at rush hour.
—Peter Nicholas, NBC News, 26 Mar. 2024
There will be accidents or rush hour traffic that will require you to drive differently.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Mar. 2024
Belgian farmers also disrupted traffic during the morning rush hour on Tuesday.
—Fox News, 30 Jan. 2024
Traffic on the Key Bridge is heaviest during rush hour from 6 to 9 a.m. EST and 2 to 5 p.m., according to hourly traffic volume estimates from Inrix.
—Lou Robinson, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Point Pleasant Bridge in West Virginia The Point Pleasant Bridge, colloquially known as the Silver Bridge for its aluminum paint, collapsed during heavy rush hour traffic on Dec. 15, 1967.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 26 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rush hour.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1878, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to rush hour
Dictionary Entries Near rush hour
Cite this Entry
“Rush hour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rush%20hour. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Kids Definition
rush hour
noun
: a period of the day when traffic is very heavy or business is very brisk
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