rush hour

noun

: a period of the day when the demands especially of traffic or business are at a peak

Examples of rush hour in a Sentence

We got caught in the morning rush hour.

Recent Examples on the Web

Tourists do not want the reality of local life – the rush hour commute, the cooking, the school run. — Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 31 July 2026

But the airport’s acoustics during rush hour on a Monday afternoon are less ideal. — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 25 July 2026

But during rush hour, the lanes jam up with too many vehicles driving at the same time. — Silvia Console Battilana, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Rachel Cox-Rosen, my 11Alive co-anchor, reported the lanes remained closed into the rush hour on July 13. — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 19 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1878, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for rush hour

• bower
• cower
• dour
• flour
• flower
• fower
• glower
• our
• power
• scour
• shower
• sour

Kids Definition

rush hour

noun

: a period of the day when traffic is very heavy or business is very brisk