onset

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noun on·set \ ˈȯn-ˌset , ˈän- \

Definition of onset

1 :attack, assault

withstand the onset of the army

2 :beginning, commencement

the onset of winter

the onset of age-related diseases

See onset defined for English-language learners

See onset defined for kids

Examples of onset in a Sentence

the walls withstood the onset of the first battalion
the claim that if you take enough vitamin C at the onset of a cold, you'll often recover faster

Recent Examples of onset from the Web

Spinraza was approved for individuals with infantile-onset spinal muscular atrophy by Japan in June 2017.

— bradley j. fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Ionis earns $40 million from spinal muscular atrophy drug Spinraza," 30 Aug. 2017
The onset of the darkness provides a somewhat eerie feeling, and then the shadow sweeps over.

— marina koren, The Atlantic, "The King of Totality," 21 Aug. 2017
Although the onset of winter slowed the outbreak, scientists fear a resurgence next year.

— sam kean, Science | AAAS, "When will yellow fever strike Brazil again? Monkeys and mosquitoes hold clues," 17 Aug. 2017
Symptoms of the disease include memory loss, difficulty controlling impulsive or erratic behavior, impaired judgment, behavioral disturbances including aggression and depression, difficulty with balance, and a gradual onset of dementia.

— randy blaser, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Is the risk of brain injury too high a price for football?," 9 Aug. 2017
The community will have no set age limit, as early onset dementia can affect people at a young age.

— kelly o'sullivan, Country Living, "A Small Town-Inspired "Dementia Village" Is Being Built to Make Patients Feel More at Home," 21 July 2017
Ullyot, who served as Facebook’s first general counsel until 2013, notes that the recent regulatory onset by the Europeans and other governments is hardly new.

— jeff john roberts, Fortune, "Why Google, Facebook, and Amazon Should Worry About Europe," 20 July 2017
Managing high blood pressure is the only strategy thought to have the potential to prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

— judith graham, Kaiser Health News, "These Preventive Measures Might Help Delay Dementia Or Cognitive Decline," 20 July 2017
Along with Eric Garland, Claude Taylor, Andrew Laufer, and a few other sorry victims of early onset absurdity, Mensch provides hope and titillation to the illiterate and the credulous, more than 250,000 of whom have elected to follow her on Twitter.

— charles c. w. cooke, National Review, "Louise Mensch’s Destructive Fantasies," 20 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'onset.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.