onset
Americannoun
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a beginning or start.
the onset of winter.
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an assault or attack.
an onset of the enemy.
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Phonetics. the segment of a syllable preceding the nucleus, as the gr in great.
noun
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an attack; assault
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a start; beginning
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of onset
Compare meaning
How does onset compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
When something is at its onset, it's at the beginning, just getting started, and it's often something that's not so pleasant. The onset of hurricane season is probably not the best time to visit the beach. If you catch an infection right at the onset and treat it immediately, the infection may not last so long. You can also have an early onset of something, and that usually means something you'd rather not have at all, as with early-onset Alzheimer's, a disease that usually appears after age 65. If you begin showing signs of the disease at a younger age than usual, you're said to have early-onset Alzheimer's.
Vocabulary lists containing onset
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The committee called Onset a “net winner” from the alleged fraud, saying that it collected about $2.9 billion in repayments from First Brands after providing $2.5 billion in financing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026
Onset says it is owed a further $1.9 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026
They added that Onset is a “victim of the shocking fraud committed by Patrick James and his cohorts.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026
First Brands had become heavily reliant on Onset Financial, a Utah-based equipment-financing company that advanced funds at a steep rate of return.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 11, 2025
From some, she got no answer: Onset; Mattapoisett; even Penikese, though it was the closest.
From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
