1
as in attacks
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 beginnings
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for onsets
Noun
-
The Kerch road and rail crossing, opened by Putin in 2018, has been the target of previous Ukrainian attacks.—
Gianluca Mezzofiore,
CNN Money,
20 June 2026 -
The first is Kryla, a compact cruise missile carrying a 50-kilogram warhead designed for saturation attacks.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
The 22-year-old said his mind drifted back to his own beginnings, in Stockton, on that concept of general generational trauma.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
21 June 2026
-
From their beginnings in the early 1990s, Failure have attracted admirers to their muscular, celestial sound, including Tool’s Maynard James Keenan and Paramore’s Hayley Williams.—
Steve Appleford,
SPIN,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
The evolution of unmanned warfare has become so pronounced that Ukrainian forces recently conducted what has been described as one of the first unmanned assaults on a Russian position.—
Hunter LaCroix,
Baltimore Sun,
20 June 2026
-
This ongoing challenge underscores how accomplished women, particularly women of color, still face gendered and racialized assaults that undermine their achievements.—
Sophia A. Nelson,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
The right-hander has thrown at least seven innings in five of his last seven starts.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
-
Here’s where this episode’s editing starts breaking down.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Trump’s immigration team vows that more raids are forthcoming.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
Japanese antitrust officials periodically make high-profile raids to protect fair competition, such as one on Google, instructing it to fix its advertising search restrictions allegedly affecting Yahoo in the country.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Recent Harvard commencements have grown much more political.—
Michael Casey,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
-
Originally called MarchingOrder, Tassel had provided services for commencements for around 20 years before adding the AI name offering.—
Kendall Staton The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
Russia appeared to be flexing its military muscle in a show of force with its latest aerial onslaughts on Ukraine.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 May 2026
-
Wardley, 31, had never lost in 21 bouts before Saturday, and somehow withstood numerous onslaughts from Dubois (23-3) without ever touching the canvas in a remarkable display of courage.—
Chris McKenna,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
In the past few years, Underwood has come to realize that a bunch of barking alphas may not, in fact, be the best way to build a successful pack.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
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As a ballplayer, Kent was as irascible as Bonds; the two alphas reportedly brawled behind clubhouse doors, and famously clashed in the dugout during a 2002 game, when Bonds lunged for Kent’s throat and pushed him against the wall.—
Jeremy Collins,
The Atlantic,
12 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Onsets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/onsets. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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