adrenaline rush

American  

[uh-dren-l-in ruhsh] / əˈdrɛn l ɪn ˌrʌʃ /

noun

1. a sudden, intense feeling of exhilaration or excitement caused by or as if by a surge of adrenaline.

   It's the adrenaline rush and the intensity of the competition that I most look forward to.

   These folks eat, breathe, and sleep roller coasters and can never get enough of an adrenaline rush.

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Etymology

Origin of adrenaline rush

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

But then it's finished "and there's a bit of baby blues afterwards," as she comes down off the adrenaline rush.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

“It was an adrenaline rush until the end after that. It just took a little confidence.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 28, 2025

View that as a parable if you wish, or simply enjoy the adrenaline rush.

From Salon • Dec. 19, 2025

"An adrenaline rush, an ego boost, a full sense of worth, a selfish gratification with no rewards, at cost to others. What I lost, what we have lost, cannot be found nor replaced."

From BBC • Sep. 26, 2025

Without intending to do so, wealthy donor countries injected a kind of adrenaline rush into the grubby world of North Korean street trading.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden