onslaughts

noun

plural of onslaught
as in attacks
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence the massive onslaught of enemy troops caught the country by surprise

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of onslaughts In fact, reported evidence suggests this software commitment (from a company making its revenue from hardware) has been crucial to Nvidia’s success in fending off onslaughts from other hardware vendors such as Intel. — Nisha Talagala, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Ukraine has been largely helpless in similar Russian onslaughts in recent weeks. — Tom Bowman, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026 Russia appeared to be flexing its military muscle in a show of force with its latest aerial onslaughts on Ukraine. — 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 When will these onslaughts of cold end? — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 31 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for onslaughts
  1. attacks
  2. assaults
  3. offensives
  4. raids
  5. aggressions
  6. offenses
Noun
  • Russia pounded Kyiv for more than 12 hours in a sixth straight night of attacks, killing at least 12 people including six railway workers and an Indian citizen, and devastating civilian districts.
    — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Despite the recent attacks, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told reporters in Caracas, Venezuela that 17 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, the largest amount since the conflict began.
    — Gordon Lubold, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of attacks
Noun
  • His defense attorney previously said the assaults were not politically motivated and that DeFoor suffers from mental health issues.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The strikes marked the sixth straight day of heavy Russian attacks on Kyiv that began last week and are an unprecedented stretch of consecutive aerial assaults since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor more than 4½ years ago.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of assaults
Noun
  • However, Iran analysts are highly skeptical that Tehran will prove capable of launching any such large-scale ground offensives any time soon.
    — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
  • Israel’s ongoing offensives have become a wedge issue for Jewish and non-Jewish Americans, leading to protests and raising antisemitism fears and questions about America’s close ties to Israel.
    — David Crary, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of offensives
Noun
  • During last year’s raids on homes owned by Kadgien and her sister in Mar del Plata, Argentine police also seized two 19th-century paintings, along with other prints and engravings.
    — Sergio Farella, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Ask South Florida and Iowa State fans for their feelings on the roster raids Alex Golesh and Matt Campbell did at Auburn and Penn State.
    — Matt Baker, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of raids
Noun
  • As quotas for immigration arrests increased that spring, he was asked to press felony charges for even minor aggressions against agents.
    — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The United States deploys about 28,500 troops in South Korea as deterrence against potential aggressions from North Korea.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of aggressions
Noun
  • Jacobs, 28, was arrested May 26 by the Hobart/Lawrence Police Department on suspicion of five offenses related to domestic abuse and released the next day.
    — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The charges included conspiracy against the internal and external security of the state, forming or joining a terrorist organization and offenses related to attempts to change the form of the state.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of offenses

Browse Nearby Words

onslaught
onslaughts
on tap
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Onslaughts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/onslaughts. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All