onslaught

noun

on·​slaught ˈän-ˌslȯt 

ˈȯn-

: an especially fierce attack

… the tremendous onslaught across the Rhine …

—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

• attack
• assault
• offensive
• raid
• offense
• aggression
• strike

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

Meanwhile, Houthi rebels in Yemen, also supported by Tehran, have increased their onslaught against southern targets, seizing strategic islands in the Bab el-Mandeb waterway. — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026

The onslaught effectively forced the container shipping industry to avoid the Suez Canal altogether, with ocean carriers instead opting to sail a longer route around southern Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

Still, government safeguards lagged behind an onslaught of applications, and since the creation of the program, government watchdogs discovered that major screening tools were not in place until after the approval of hundreds of billions of dollars. — Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 14 Sep. 2026

As the Hurricanes’ defense bottled up the Rattlers, the UM offensive onslaught continued. — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

modification of Dutch aanslag act of striking; akin to Old English an on and to Old English slēan to strike — more at slay

First Known Use

circa 1625, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for onslaught

• allot
• barat
• begot
• besought
• bethought
• bloodshot
• boycott
• buckshot
• crackpot
• croat
• culottes
• dashpot

Kids Definition

onslaught

noun

on·​slaught ˈän-ˌslȯt 

ˈȯn-

: a violent attack