rush
verb (used without object)
to move, act, or progress with speed, impetuosity, or violence.
rush
1 American
[ruhsh]
/ rʌʃ /
verb (used without object)
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rushes,
present (3rd person singular)
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rushed,
past participle, past
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rushing
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
rushes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rushed,
past participle, past
-
rushing
present participle
-
to perform, accomplish, or finish with speed, impetuosity, or violence.
They rushed the work to make the deadline.
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to carry or convey with haste.
to rush an injured person to the hospital.
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to cause to move, act, or progress quickly; hurry.
He rushed his roommate to get to the party on time.
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to send, push, force, impel, etc., with unusual speed or haste.
to rush a bill through Congress.
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to attack suddenly and violently; charge.
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to overcome or capture (a person, place, etc.).
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Informal. to heap attentions on; court intensively; woo.
to rush an attractive newcomer.
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to entertain (a prospective fraternity or sorority member) before making bids for membership.
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Football.
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to carry (the ball) forward across the line of scrimmage.
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to carry the ball (a distance) forward from the line of scrimmage.
The home team rushed 145 yards.
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(of a defensive team member) to attempt to force a way quickly into the backfield in pursuit of (the back in possession of the ball).
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noun
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the act of rushing; a rapid, impetuous, or violent onward movement.
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a hostile attack.
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an eager rushing of numbers of persons to some region that is being occupied or exploited, especially because of a new mine.
the gold rush to California.
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a sudden appearance or surge.
Seeing the old photo set off a rush of tears.
You’ll experience a massive rush of adrenaline as you find yourself in free fall.
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hurried activity; busy haste.
the rush of city life.
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a hurried state, as from pressure of affairs.
to be in a rush.
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press of work, business, traffic, etc., requiring extraordinary effort or haste.
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Football.
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an attempt to carry or instance of carrying the ball across the line of scrimmage.
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an act or instance of rushing the offensive back in possession of the ball.
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a scrimmage held as a form of sport between classes or bodies of students in colleges.
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Movies. rushes, daily.
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Also called flash. Slang. the initial, intensely pleasurable or exhilarated feeling experienced upon taking a narcotic or stimulant drug.
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The sheer ecstatic rush in that moment was the best feeling on earth.
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Informal. a series of lavish attentions paid a woman by a suitor.
He gave her a big rush.
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the rushing by a fraternity or sorority.
adjective
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requiring or done in haste: rush work.
a rush order;
rush work.
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characterized by excessive business, a press of work or traffic, etc..
The cafeteria's rush period was from noon to two in the afternoon.
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characterized by the rushing of potential new members by a sorority or fraternity.
rush week on the university campus.
rush
2
American
[ruhsh]
/ rʌʃ /
noun
-
any grasslike plant of the genus Juncus, having pithy or hollow stems, found in wet or marshy places.
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any plant of the rush family.
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any of various similar plants.
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a stem of such a plant, used for making chair bottoms, mats, baskets, etc.
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something of little or no value; trifle.
not worth a rush.
Rush
3
American
[ruhsh]
/ rʌʃ /
noun
-
Benjamin, 1745–1813, U.S. physician and political leader: author of medical treatises.
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his son Richard, 1780–1859, U.S. lawyer, politician, and diplomat.
rush
1
British
/ rʌʃ /
verb
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to hurry or cause to hurry; hasten
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to make a sudden attack upon (a fortress, position, person, etc)
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to proceed or approach in a reckless manner
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to proceed with precipitate haste
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(intr) to come, flow, swell, etc, quickly or suddenly
tears rushed to her eyes
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slang to cheat, esp by grossly overcharging
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(tr) to make a concerted effort to secure the agreement, participation, etc, of (a person)
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(intr) American football to gain ground by running forwards with the ball
noun
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the act or condition of rushing
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a sudden surge towards someone or something
a gold rush
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a sudden surge of sensation, esp produced by a drug
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a sudden demand
adjective
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requiring speed or urgency
a rush job
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characterized by much movement, business, etc
a rush period
rush
2
British
/ rʌʃ /
noun
-
any annual or perennial plant of the genus Juncus , growing in wet places and typically having grasslike cylindrical leaves and small green or brown flowers: family Juncaceae Many species are used to make baskets
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any of various similar or related plants, such as the woodrush, scouring rush, and spike-rush
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something valueless; a trifle; straw
not worth a rush
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short for rush light
rush
Idioms
Synonym Usage
Rush, hurry, dash, speed imply swiftness of movement. Rush implies haste and sometimes violence in motion through some distance: to rush to the store. Hurry suggests a sense of strain or agitation, a breathless rushing to get to a definite place by a certain time: to hurry to an appointment. Dash implies impetuosity or spirited, swift movement for a short distance: to dash to the neighbor's. Speed means to go fast, usually by means of some type of transportation, and with some smoothness of motion: to speed to a nearby city.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rushsimple
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rushessimple
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have rushedperfect
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has rushedperfect
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am rushingprogressive
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are rushingprogressive
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is rushingprogressive
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have been rushingperfect progressive
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has been rushingperfect progressive
Past
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rushedsimple
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had rushedperfect
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was rushingprogressive
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were rushingprogressive
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had been rushingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rush1
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English verb rushe(n), ruishe, from Anglo-French russher, russer, Old French re(h)usser, re(h)user, ruser, from Late Latin recūsāre “to push back,” Latin: “to refuse”; noun derivative of the verb; see also recuse, ruse
Origin of rush2
First recorded before 900; Middle English risch(e), ris(s)e, rich, Old English rysc, risc, rix; cognate with Dutch, Middle High German rusch, obsolete German Rusch, German Rausch
Explanation
To rush is to hurry or move very quickly, like when you rush to get to class on time or rush to catch the subway instead of waiting for the next one. Rush implies urgency — you need to get somewhere, or do something, fast. You can also rush someone else: "Don't rush me, I like to stay after the movie and watch the credits!" It's a noun, too: "She's obviously in a rush to get somewhere." A "rush job" has an immediate deadline, and "rush hour" is the busiest time of day for drivers in a rush to get to work, or to go home afterward.
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.
See Examples For:
He has been tasked with reorienting the team, moving away from its conservative defensive-first approach to an aggressive attacking style, with defensemen often joining the rush.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
With just a few hours on the remote archipelago before flying back to Fiji, there was a rush from organisers to get in as many events as possible.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Moreover, companies don’t feel a need to rush to public markets given the ready availability of private capital, Tricot said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Not only did Tennessee fail to kill Christa Pike, but they then had to rush her to a hospital for life-saving care.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
We nodded, and I felt a rush of relief that Elliot had successfully saved us from my slipup.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Rush also confessed to providing secrets to a foreign government, which could have caused "grave damage" to national security.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
"Rush revealed to a foreign government official the existence and certain descriptive information of a US government clandestine human source," they said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Court records show Rush was accused of falsely telling employers he had been a navy pilot.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
According to prosecutors, Rush also transmitted top secret national defense information to a "foreign government official" in 2025.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
The overriding honesty and intimacy of the correspondence with Rush permitted this projection to express itself without restraint.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Desrosiers erupted for 118 yards on nine rushes, including a 34-yard touchdown run in the fourth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
The 6-foot, 220-pound North Carolina product gained 737 yards from scrimmage and had five touchdowns in 156 touches — 124 rushes and 32 receptions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Downpours from intense summer thunderstorms can fall faster than the water can soak into the ground and, instead, it rushes over the surface, leading to flash flooding.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Too late, a UN security guard rushes in with a fire extinguisher.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
When we come to the Pamunkey River, which separates us from Werowocomoco, we find a canoe in the rushes and use it to paddle across.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
She survived the injections, however, and was rushed to hospital, where she had been unconscious and on a ventilator in critical condition.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Ceasar Reyes rushed for 374 yards and five touchdowns in win over Bell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Kim rushed from the Presidents Cup in the United States to tee off at the Kasugai Country Club in Japan, having to manage on just six hours of sleep and a 14-hour time difference.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Mohammad Hashim, a farmer, said he rushed to rescue residents after the pre-dawn attack.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Callaway nodded as one of the technicians rushed over with a rack of clothing.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Part of the surge may reflect exporters rushing barrels out before a feared new escalation, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Treasurys gave up an early rally on Friday after a weaker-than-expected jobs report initially sent investors rushing into government debt.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
Passengers described rushing the cockpit and a fight for control after the plane suddenly plummeted -- losing around 17,000 feet of altitude in the span of a minute, according to the Flightradar24 website.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
"I was traveling home by train," recalls Passaleva, "and all of a sudden I was rushing against time to commandeer one of the largest telescopes in the world from my laptop."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
Jonah glanced up to see that Chip and Katherine and even some of the other kids were rushing toward him.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
