onrush

noun

on·​rush ˈȯn-ˌrəsh How to pronounce onrush (audio)
ˈän-
1
: a rushing forward or onward
2
: onset
onrushing adjective

Examples of onrush in a Sentence

a sudden onrush of development in an area that was rural until very recently
Recent Examples on the Web CIOs responded to the onrush of generative AI by seeking out in specialized books, in paper or digital form. Tom Loftus, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2023 But maybe foregrounding scroll’s past life as a noun is a reminder that this is also an active and emotional practice, a desire to face the onrush of catastrophe and to witness history. WIRED, 19 Sep. 2023 Every scene feels short — every mishap proceeds amid an onrush of too much going on. K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 4 Feb. 2023 There’s the fiery red-orange glow of the iris, the sudden onrush of liquid that bathes and (one hopes) soothes, and finally that last little tug of the forceps as — ta-da! — the new lens snaps into place with satisfying, ship-in-a-bottle precision. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2023 Autopsies of inmates executed by states had shown the drug to cause flash pulmonary edema—an onrush of fluid into the lungs, which would induce the sensation of drowning, filings asserted, in a foam-like substance produced as the liquid mixed with alveolar air. Caroline Lester, Harper's Magazine, 27 Apr. 2021 That paucity allowed their accurate findings to be overwhelmed by an onrush of partisan polls in key states that more readily suited the needs of the sprawling and voracious political content machine — one sustained by ratings and clicks, and famished for fresh data and compelling narratives. Steve Eder, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2022 The contemporary business is lightly, even haphazardly, plotted, because the real pressure, the storied onrush, comes from the past—from inescapable memory. James Wood, The New Yorker, 7 June 2021 With the change in climate and the onrush of new cultures, many other hunter-gatherers may have retreated to the north, where the mammoth steppe still existed. Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'onrush.' 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

circa 1784, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of onrush was circa 1784

Dictionary Entries Near onrush

Cite this Entry

“Onrush.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/onrush. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

onrush

noun
on·​rush ˈȯn-ˌrəsh How to pronounce onrush (audio)
ˈän-
: a rushing forward or onward
onrushing adjective
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