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Showing results for onslaught. Search instead for onslaughts.
Synonyms

onslaught

American  
[on-slawt, awn-] / ˈɒnˌslɔt, ˈɔn- /

noun

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

onslaught British  
/ ˈɒnˌslɔːt /

noun

  1. a violent attack

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

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.

Season 2 returned nine years later to wrestle with Peak TV’s onslaught.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026

Iran, though severely weakened militarily and politically by an onslaught of airstrikes that began February 28, has voiced no intention to surrender.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

Curtis seemed to tense up amid the smooth onslaught.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

That meant Tuesday’s game turned into a siege: Inter applying constant pressure, Bodø doing everything it could to withstand the onslaught.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

The storm has been looming for more than a week—plenty of time to prepare the ship for this onslaught, but the captain chose to do nothing, sticking to a unique philosophy.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

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.