1
as in attack
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence
the walls withstood the onset of the first battalion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in beginning
the point at which something begins
the claim that if you take enough vitamin C at the onset of a cold, you'll often recover faster
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of onset
Only five Gallup readings have ever come in lower, all of which were recorded during the Great Recession or at the onset of the pandemic.
—
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
The study identified type 2 diabetes as the leading cause of death associated with early-onset obesity.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2026
Scars still exist from the Napster days and how unequipped the record labels were to handle the massive scale piracy from peer-to-peer filesharing sites, which cratered music’s value until the onset of the streaming era finally stopped the bleeding.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
Infected people are infectious for four days before the rash appears and for four days after its onset.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for onset
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
The study identified type 2 diabetes as the leading cause of death associated with early-onset obesity.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2026
Scars still exist from the Napster days and how unequipped the record labels were to handle the massive scale piracy from peer-to-peer filesharing sites, which cratered music’s value until the onset of the streaming era finally stopped the bleeding.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
Infected people are infectious for four days before the rash appears and for four days after its onset.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for onset
Recent Examples of Synonyms for onset
Noun
-
As shown in The Athletic’s match dashboard below, City might have had more of the ball, but Arsenal created some excellent opportunities with an attack-minded approach at the Etihad.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Both Hezbollah and Israel have have defended their attacks and claimed that the other has violated the ceasefire.—
Sarah Dean,
NBC news,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His campaign, however, raised just over $1 million since the beginning of the year — placing him sixth in the fundraising race among the eight leading candidates.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Meanwhile, today is the beginning of a six-year window that will impact your private world.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
He was taken into custody and transported to Norwalk police headquarters, where he was charged with two counts of criminal attempt at assault on a police officer, two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment and first-degree threatening.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
-
They were originally used mostly to evacuate casualties and resupply troops, but increasingly also to conduct combat assault missions.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As a rookie in 2025, Sanoja made 26 starts at third base, 20 starts at second base, 16 in left field, 10 in center field and nine at shortstop.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
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Aledo got off to a fast start with six runs in the first inning, and after a two-run second inning, ended the game early with seven runs in the third.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
By the early ‘60s, however, Hollywood was discovering that their bland, non-genre movies were fading before the onslaught of TV.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
-
They were intimidated by the onslaught of reporters and the aggressiveness of some camera people.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Ladera’s property manager, Eustace Augustine, helped build the resort at its inception and has been an employee for 41 years; similarly, much of the staff at Ladera are longtime employees, and their heartfelt pride in the property is palpable.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Apr. 2026
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The company is expected to release its first foldable iPhone this September, according to Bloomberg, potentially marking its biggest change to the iPhone since its inception – and possibly the first iPhone launch under Ternus.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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He is stripped of his business license, faces police raids and arrests, and is forced to shut down the testing centre.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
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The studio reportedly believes that 30% of the footage from the lost third act could be used in a sequel, including a police raid on Michael's Neverland Ranch.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In 2021, Porter also delivered the commencement address at Hunt’s graduation ceremony.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Apr. 2026
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The university announced that alumni Kameron Saunders will be one of the two commencement speakers for the 2026 ceremony on May 16.—
Rashad Alexander,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Onset.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/onset. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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