rush hour

noun

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.

rush hour

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• rush-hour adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rush hour¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

The sound of rush hour in Zhuhai on China's southern coast has been replaced by howling winds and sheets of rain.

Read more on BBC

Palestinian attackers opened fire on people at a bus stop during the morning rush hour in Jerusalem.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Lime revealed a more than 50% jump in trips during rush hour traffic on Monday and Tuesday, rising to three-quarters by Wednesday.

Read more on BBC

One could easily grow accustomed to that level of comfort and status, not to mention the pleasure of never having to personally navigate the 101 or 405 freeways at rush hour.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"Clearly, the rush hour trains are already packed. And if you remove the disincentive to travel, it would mean more would want to travel on those trains," said Bruce Williamson from campaign group Railfuture.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• congestion 
• traffic jam