oncoming

adjective

on·​com·​ing ˈȯn-ˌkə-miŋ 

ˈän-

1

a

: coming nearer in time or space

the oncoming year

oncoming traffic

an oncoming car

b

: future

looked forward to his oncoming visit

2

: emergent, rising

the oncoming generation

Synonyms of oncoming

• upcoming
• approaching
• impending
• coming

Examples of oncoming in a Sentence

we're looking forward to your oncoming visit

Recent Examples on the Web

Two drunk traffic cops, going two hundred kilometers an hour after a night out, had driven into the oncoming lane. —Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026

Arizona Revised Statute 28-942 mandates drivers to dim the high beams when following another vehicle or approaching oncoming traffic. —Shelby Slade, AZCentral.com, 20 Jan. 2026

At least 39 people died in southern Spain after a high-speed train derailed and collided with an oncoming one on Sunday night, marking the worst railway accident in the country since 2013. —Nina Lopez, USA Today, 19 Jan. 2026

The driver of the Mustang was then ejected into the westbound lanes of Bluffton Parkway before an oncoming vehicle struck him. —Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for oncoming

• becoming
• forthcoming
• homecoming
• incoming
• shortcoming
• succumbing
• upcoming
• coming
• cumming
• drumming
• gumming
• humming

Kids Definition

oncoming

adjective

on·​com·​ing ˈȯn-ˌkəm-iŋ 

ˈän-

: coming nearer

oncoming traffic