as in attack
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence
the massive onslaught of enemy troops caught the country by surprise
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Recent Examples of onslaught
The Timberwolves began to sling 3-pointers and slam dunks, but the Bulls took those punches on the chin, holding off the onslaught by forcing second-chance points and drawing fouls.
—
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Chances are you caught a few of the contenders upon their 2025 movie theater openings, but with the onslaught of new releases in the weeks leading up to Thursday’s nominations announcement, even some voters are surely behind.
—Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Memphis is gearing up for an onslaught of winter weather this weekend.
—Brooke Muckerman, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 22 Jan. 2026
And there’s the rub, because in reality nobody outside is actually or substantially helping defend the populace against the regime’s onslaught.
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for onslaught
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2026
Chances are you caught a few of the contenders upon their 2025 movie theater openings, but with the onslaught of new releases in the weeks leading up to Thursday’s nominations announcement, even some voters are surely behind.
—Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Memphis is gearing up for an onslaught of winter weather this weekend.
—Brooke Muckerman, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 22 Jan. 2026
And there’s the rub, because in reality nobody outside is actually or substantially helping defend the populace against the regime’s onslaught.
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for onslaught
Recent Examples of Synonyms for onslaught
Noun
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His June assault on Iran’s nuclear facilities had two carrier groups in the region, more there as a counter-weight to any Iranian reprisals than to be directly involved in the attack.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
31 Jan. 2026
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Senegal -- The Islamic State extremist group claimed responsibility on Friday for an attack on an air force base in Niger's capital that wounded four soldiers and damaged an aircraft.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Martinez and another man were charged in October with assault with a deadly weapon, accused of following the agents' vehicles and initiating the collision with Exum's SUV that led to the shooting on Chicago's south side.—
James Hill,
ABC News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Pretti was shot while agents were evidently seeking to detain a man, Jose Huerta-Chuma, whom Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino said had an extensive criminal record including domestic assault.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Israel’s offensive has killed more than 71,400 Palestinians since 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry — with more than 480 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the latest ceasefire began.—
Julia Frankel,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
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Israel’s offensive has killed at least 71,660 Palestinians since 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry — with more than 480 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the latest ceasefire began.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The first raid left 30 insurgents dead in Panjgur district in Balochistan province, according to a military statement.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
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The ban came after a series of immigration raids in and around Los Angeles, where federal agents were spotted wearing masks.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The offenses are alleged to have occurred in 2013.—
Jane Harper,
Dallas Morning News,
30 Jan. 2026
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The race to deploy increasingly sophisticated systems (offense and defense) in outer space and oceans is on, primarily a contest between the United States, Russia and China.—
Sabbir Rangwala,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Sabrina Carpenter’s song about guys being goofy and Bad Bunny’s single about wishing to be more present in fleeting moments might’ve been more pertinent to a rough last year animated by masculine aggression.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
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Traoré did flip the tone with his aggression, slicing to the rim for two straight baskets, but Denver’s shooting kept piling up.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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As the war grinds through another bitterly cold winter, Russian strikes hit an apartment block Wednesday on the outskirts of Kyiv, killing two people.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
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The attacks, carried out in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean under the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have killed at least 116 people in 36 strikes since early September.—
Muri Assuncao,
Mercury News,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Onslaught.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/onslaught. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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