rusher

[ ruhsh-er ]

/ ˈrʌʃ ər /

noun

a person or thing that rushes.

Football. a player whose assignment is to rush or whose special skill is rushing.

Nearby words

rush, benjamin, rush, richard, rushdie, rushdie, salman, rushee, rusher, rushes, rushing, rushingly, rushmore, rushmore, mount

Origin of rusher

1645–55; 1875–80 for def 2; rush¹ + -er¹

Definition for rusher (2 of 2)

rush

[ ruhsh ]

/ rʌʃ /

verb (used without object)

to move, act, or progress with speed, impetuosity, or violence.

to dash, especially to dash forward for an attack or onslaught.

to appear, go, pass, etc., rapidly or suddenly: The blood rushed to his face.

Football. to carry the ball on a running play or plays.

verb (used with object)

to perform, accomplish, or finish with speed, impetuosity, or violence: They rushed the work to make the deadline.

to carry or convey with haste: to rush an injured person to the hospital.

to cause to move, act, or progress quickly; hurry: He rushed his roommate to get to the party on time.

to send, push, force, impel, etc., with unusual speed or haste: to rush a bill through Congress.

to attack suddenly and violently; charge.

to overcome or capture (a person, place, etc.).

Informal. to heap attentions on; court intensively; woo: to rush an attractive newcomer.

to entertain (a prospective fraternity or sorority member) before making bids for membership.

Football.

to carry (the ball) forward across the line of scrimmage.
to carry the ball (a distance) forward from the line of scrimmage: The home team rushed 145 yards.
(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).

noun

the act of rushing; a rapid, impetuous, or violent onward movement.

a hostile attack.

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.

a sudden appearance or access: a rush of tears.

hurried activity; busy haste: the rush of city life.

a hurried state, as from pressure of affairs: to be in a rush.

press of work, business, traffic, etc., requiring extraordinary effort or haste.

Football.

an attempt to carry or instance of carrying the ball across the line of scrimmage.
an act or instance of rushing the offensive back in possession of the ball.

a scrimmage held as a form of sport between classes or bodies of students in colleges.

rushes, Movies. daily(def 4).

Informal. a series of lavish attentions paid a woman by a suitor: He gave her a big rush.

the rushing by a fraternity or sorority.

Also called flash. Slang. the initial, intensely pleasurable or exhilarated feeling experienced upon taking a narcotic or stimulant drug.

adjective

requiring or done in haste: a rush order; rush work.

characterized by excessive business, a press of work or traffic, etc.: The cafeteria's rush period was from noon to two in the afternoon.

characterized by the rushing of potential new members by a sorority or fraternity: rush week on the university campus.

Origin of rush

1325–75; (v.) Middle English ruschen < Anglo-French russher, russer, Old French re(h)usser, re(h)user, ruser < Late Latin recūsāre, to push back, Latin: to refuse. See recuse, ruse; (noun) Middle English rus(s)che, derivative of the v.

SYNONYMS FOR rush

1 hasten, run. 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.

ANTONYMS FOR rush

18 sloth, lethargy.

Related formsrush·ing·ly, adverbun·rushed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rusher

But Frisk makes a strong case that Rusher was not a mere populist propagandist.
The Father Of The Tea Party|Justin Green|August 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Bob followed, while Rusher went on more gayly than ever, hauling the overturned cutter after him.
The Bobbsey Twins|Laura Lee Hope
Hermes is likewise the wind, and means the rusher (, and cf. Srameyas of the Vedas).
The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, October 1879|Various
Suffice it to state that presently a rusher is obliged to retire from the field by reason of a sprained ankle.
The Opinions of a Philosopher|Robert Grant

"Rusher threw us into a sand pit," answered Bert, and then told the whole story.
The Bobbsey Twins|Laura Lee Hope
She has ideas,” said Jean, gravely; “she is a rusher into new things.
Growing Up|Jennie M. Drinkwater

British Dictionary definitions for rusher (1 of 2)

rush

/ (rʌʃ) /

verb

to hurry or cause to hurry; hasten

to make a sudden attack upon (a fortress, position, person, etc)

(when intr , often foll by at, in or into) to proceed or approach in a reckless manner

rush one's fences to proceed with precipitate haste

(intr) to come, flow, swell, etc, quickly or suddenlytears rushed to her eyes

slang to cheat, esp by grossly overcharging

(tr) US and Canadian to make a concerted effort to secure the agreement, participation, etc, of (a person)

(intr) American football to gain ground by running forwards with the ball

noun

the act or condition of rushing

a sudden surge towards someone or somethinga gold rush

a sudden surge of sensation, esp produced by a drug

a sudden demand

adjective (prenominal)

requiring speed or urgencya rush job

characterized by much movement, business, etca rush period

Derived Formsrusher, noun

Word Origin for rush

C14 ruschen, from Old French ruser to put to flight, from Latin recūsāre to refuse, reject

British Dictionary definitions for rusher (2 of 2)

rush

/ (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

any of various similar or related plants, such as the woodrush, scouring rush, and spike-rush

something valueless; a trifle; strawnot worth a rush

short for rush light

Derived Formsrushlike, adjective

Word Origin for rush

Old English risce, rysce; related to Middle Dutch risch, Norwegian rusk, Old Slavonic rozga twig, rod

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

Word Origin and History for rusher (1 of 3)

rush

mid-14c. (implied in rushing), "to drive back or down," from Anglo-French russher, from Old French ruser "to dodge, repel" (see ruse). Meaning "to do something quickly" is from 1650s; transitive sense of "to hurry up (someone or something)" is from 1850. U.S. Football sense originally was in rugby (1857).

Fraternity/sorority sense is from 1896 (originally it was what the fraternity did to the student); from 1899 as a noun in this sense. Earlier it was a name on U.S. campuses for various tests of strength or athletic skill between freshmen and sophomores as classes (1860).

Word Origin and History for rusher (1 of 3)

rush

n.1

"plant growing in marshy ground," Old English resc, earlier risc, from Proto-Germanic *rusk- (cf. Middle Low German rusch, Middle High German rusch, German Rausch, West Frisian risk, Dutch rusch), from PIE *rezg- "to plait, weave, wind" (cf. Latin restis "cord, rope").

Old French rusche probably is from a Germanic source. Used for making torches and finger rings, also strewn on floors when visitors arrived; it was attested a type of "something of no value" from c.1300. See OED for spelling variations.

Word Origin and History for rusher (2 of 3)

rush

n.2

"a hasty driving forward," late 14c., from rush (v.). Sense of "mass migration of people" (especially to a gold field) is from 1848, American English. Football/rugby sense from 1857. Meaning "surge of pleasure" is from 1960s. Rush hour first recorded 1888. Rush order from 1896.

Medicine definitions for rusher

Rush

[ rŭsh ]

Benjamin 1745-1813

American physician, politician, and educator. A signer of the Declaration of Independence, he promoted the humane treatment of the mentally ill.

Idioms and Phrases with rusher

rush

see bum's rush; fools rush in where angels fear to tread; mad rush; (rush) off someone's feet.

rusher

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of rusher

Definition for rusher (2 of 2)

rush

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

adjective

Origin of rush

Examples from the Web for rusher

British Dictionary definitions for rusher (1 of 2)

rush

verb

noun

adjective (prenominal)

Word Origin for rush

British Dictionary definitions for rusher (2 of 2)

rush

noun

Word Origin for rush

Word Origin and History for rusher (1 of 3)

rush

Word Origin and History for rusher (1 of 3)

rush

Word Origin and History for rusher (2 of 3)

rush

Medicine definitions for rusher

Rush

Idioms and Phrases with rusher

rush