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
During a morning rush hour at Grand Central Terminal last month, one woman cursed at another for lingering on a staircase.
—
Ana Ley, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2023
Getty Images To an onlooker, the throngs of people spilling off platforms and out of car parks during rush hour on a weekday may all appear to have a similar story.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2023
Friday nights mean rush hour traffic, plus high school football.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2023
The two groups remained separated by cars and police officers, who kept traffic moving along 42nd Street as rush hour approached.
—Ginger Adams Otis, WSJ, 14 Oct. 2023
The second is my road rage—furiously impatient to end up stuck in rush hour gridlock, shouting and banging my fists against the wheel.
—Blake Butler, Harper's Magazine, 11 Oct. 2023
For drivers who have rush hour commutes, or even just those who regularly hop on the freeway to hang out with friends, Drive Pilot transforms wasted time in the car into an opportunity to do much more with a lot less stress.
—Daniel Golson, The Verge, 27 Sep. 2023
The Oregon Department of Transportation is working with local officials to minimize impacts, but drivers should expect congestion along the detour routes and longer travel times, particularly during the weekday morning and afternoon rush hours.
—oregonlive, 3 Aug. 2023
The thought of being able to watch Top Gun: Maverick while in an hour-plus-long rush hour traffic jam — something that happens to me quite often — would honestly be life-changing.
—Daniel Golson, The Verge, 27 Sep. 2023
See More
Ana Ley, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2023
Getty Images To an onlooker, the throngs of people spilling off platforms and out of car parks during rush hour on a weekday may all appear to have a similar story.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2023
Friday nights mean rush hour traffic, plus high school football.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2023
The two groups remained separated by cars and police officers, who kept traffic moving along 42nd Street as rush hour approached.
—Ginger Adams Otis, WSJ, 14 Oct. 2023
The second is my road rage—furiously impatient to end up stuck in rush hour gridlock, shouting and banging my fists against the wheel.
—Blake Butler, Harper's Magazine, 11 Oct. 2023
For drivers who have rush hour commutes, or even just those who regularly hop on the freeway to hang out with friends, Drive Pilot transforms wasted time in the car into an opportunity to do much more with a lot less stress.
—Daniel Golson, The Verge, 27 Sep. 2023
The Oregon Department of Transportation is working with local officials to minimize impacts, but drivers should expect congestion along the detour routes and longer travel times, particularly during the weekday morning and afternoon rush hours.
—oregonlive, 3 Aug. 2023
The thought of being able to watch Top Gun: Maverick while in an hour-plus-long rush hour traffic jam — something that happens to me quite often — would honestly be life-changing.
—Daniel Golson, The Verge, 27 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rush hour.' 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
1878, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to rush hour
Dictionary Entries Near rush hour
Cite this Entry
“Rush hour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rush%20hour. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
rush hour
noun
: a period of the day when traffic is very heavy or business is very brisk
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