onset

noun

on·​set ˈȯn-ˌset 

ˈän-

1

: attack, assault

withstand the onset of the army

2

: beginning, commencement

the onset of winter

the onset of age-related diseases

Synonyms of onset

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

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 on the Web

The onset of hostilities was enough to persuade around a hundred and eighty Democrats to support the measure. —Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 18 May 2026

Speculator positions flipped from net short to net long around the onset of the Iran War. —Sj Guest Editorial, Footwear News, 18 May 2026

Asparagus Might Support Better Long-Term Glycemic Control Oxidative stress may drive the onset of many chronic diseases, including diabetes. —Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 18 May 2026

The 79th Cannes may go down as the time the world's grandest film festival for the first time wrestled with the onset of AI — its arrival has been felt like a tsunami on the French Riviera. —ABC News, 18 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1522, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing onset

• adult-onset diabetes
• juvenile-onset diabetes

Rhymes for onset

• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• binet
• briquette
• brunet
• brunette
• burette

Kids Definition

onset

noun

on·​set ˈȯn-ˌset 

ˈän-

1

: attack entry 2 sense 1

2

: beginning sense 1

Medical Definition

onset

noun

on·​set ˈȯn-ˌset, ˈän- 

: the initial existence or symptoms of a disease

the onset of scarlet fever