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
-
Remember, Congress was given the power in the Constitution to formally declare war, and AUMFs were drawn up after the 9/11 attacks and Congress at that time passed an authorization for use of military force.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
1 May 2026 -
Residents of the usually picturesque Russian resort town of Tuapse were this week warned not to leave the homes or open windows as authorities tackled intense fires from a series of Ukrainian drone attacks on the town’s oil refinery.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Those Depression-era beginnings shaped his life and judicial philosophy — treating everyone fairly, his family said.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
3 May 2026
-
In terms of all-time hero's journeys, his is up there, from his humble beginnings on Tatooine to learning of his sinister dad to becoming a Jedi master to sacrificing himself to help the Resistance.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
Ukrainian civilians have endured relentless air assaults since Russia invaded their country more than four years ago.—
Samya Kullab,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
-
Ukrainian civilians have endured relentless air assaults since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor more than four years ago.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Freeland had walked only five batters in his first four starts.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
-
Gamboa was limited by injury during spring training, allowing three runs over two innings in two appearances, and has allowed nine runs in 13 innings over three starts with Triple-A Worcester.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Pritzker last fall tasked the Illinois Accountability Commission with fact-finding about the sweeping Chicago-area raids for posterity, the public eye and potential future law enforcement actions, but the panel itself has no direct law enforcement power.—
Olivia Olander,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
The same nurses hailed as essential workers during the pandemic are now dealing with the impact of ICE raids and ICE presence in hospitals, endangering nurses and their patients.—
Sonia Lawrence,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
When will these onslaughts of cold end?—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
By moving some commencements away from increasingly costly private sites, the financially ailing school district could have saved about half a million dollars a year.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The army has retaken territory from ethnic militias, including the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which had launched powerful offensives along with pro-democracy resistance forces in northeastern Myanmar near the Chinese border and in western Myanmar.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
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Putin is widely expected to launch new offensives as the weather in Ukraine improves, piling further pressure on Kyiv.—
Hanna Arhirova,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Onsets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/onsets. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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