onslaught

American  

[on-slawt, awn-] / ˈɒnˌslɔt, ˈɔn- /

noun

onslaughts plural

1. an onset, assault, or attack, especially a vigorous one.

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onslaught British  

/ ˈɒnˌslɔːt /

noun

1. a violent attack

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• onslaughts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of onslaught

1615–25; < Dutch aanslag a striking, (earlier) attack (equivalent to aan on + slag blow, stroke; akin to slay ), with assimilation to obsolete slaught slaughter

Explanation

Onslaught is a military term that refers to an attack against an enemy. It's safe to say that no one wants to be caught on the receiving end of an onslaught, because there will be lots of danger, destruction and probably death. One way to help you remember the brutal meaning of onslaught is through the word's English origin, slaught, meaning "slaughter." But onslaught can be used in non-military ways, too. It can mean a barrage of written or spoken communication, like an onslaught of emailed birthday wishes. Taken individually, the birthday wishes are nice but an onslaught is too many, too fast, all at once. Onslaught can also mean a sudden and severe start of trouble. For example, if your office is unprepared for the onslaught of flu season, the entire sales force will be home sick at the same time.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

onslaught onslaughts

“There’s been this kind of onslaught from the Pentagon that all comes in the context of the two-plus decades of the war on terror.”

From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026

Sophia Dunkley, who made 57 on her return before the onslaught, is one of those who has been tried in that finishing role.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

If your child is a university student, they will face an onslaught of credit-card offers that are designed “just for them.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 12, 2026

Villarreal: It won’t look as elegant as you, Sarah, but talk to me about finding that walk because, like you said, it shifts from when the onslaught happens.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026

Some unfortunate just behind him was pulled out to help hold off the onslaught which must surely come within two or three days, while the last of the BEF was piling into the boats.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

In October, the South American country unveiled its first drone battalion to counterattack and defend against drone onslaughts.

From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026

One drone he pilots can throw up an effective cloak of invisibility against electronic onslaughts, but others he has trained on don’t hold up well in that domain, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 13, 2025

And in this form, it looks unlikely that Rockets' bowlers will be the only ones on the receiving end of their onslaughts over the next month.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2023

"This funding is critical to stopping those onslaughts, hardening Ukraine’s cyber defences and increasing the country’s ability to detect and disable the malware targeted at them."

From Reuters ● Jun. 18, 2023

Had the bolas come in massed, coordinated onslaughts instead of being wielded by individual soldiers as they thought opportune, Pizarro might well have met his match.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• aggression
• assault
• blitz
• incursion
• invasion
• offensive
• onset