rush hour

American  

noun

• rush hours
  plural

1. a time of day in which large numbers of people are in transit, as going to or returning from work, and that is characterized by particularly heavy traffic.

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rush hour British  

noun

1. a period at the beginning and end of the working day when large numbers of people are travelling to or from work

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rush-hour
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rush hours
  plural

Etymology

Origin of rush hour

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rush hour

The closure caused long tailbacks during the morning rush hour with diversion routes becoming congested.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Metrolink service was not affected as the afternoon rush hour began, according to a spokesperson for the commuter rail system.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

It’s nice to have a pal at rush hour.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

The flow eventually waned but picked up again during the morning rush hour on Wednesday as workers crossed over from the Spanish side.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

Before we went to bed, Dad suggested that we avoid rush hour by starting out late in the morning instead of early.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

Related Words

• congestion
• traffic jam