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• rush
  rush

  verb (used without object)

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

  noun

  Benjamin, 1745–1813, U.S. physician and political leader: author of medical treatises.

rush

¹ American  

[ruhsh] / rʌʃ /

verb (used without object)

• rushes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• rushed,
  past participle,  past
• rushing
  present participle

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

   Synonyms:

   urge, speed, run, hasten

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

3. to appear, go, pass, etc., rapidly or suddenly.

   The blood rushed to his face.

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

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verb (used with object)

• rushes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• rushed,
  past participle,  past
• rushing
  present participle

1. to perform, accomplish, or finish with speed, impetuosity, or violence.

   They rushed the work to make the deadline.

2. to carry or convey with haste.

   to rush an injured person to the hospital.

3. to cause to move, act, or progress quickly; hurry.

   He rushed his roommate to get to the party on time.

4. to send, push, force, impel, etc., with unusual speed or haste.

   to rush a bill through Congress.

5. to attack suddenly and violently; charge.

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

7. Informal. to heap attentions on; court intensively; woo.

   to rush an attractive newcomer.

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

9. Football.

   1. to carry (the ball) forward across the line of scrimmage.

   2. to carry the ball (a distance) forward from the line of scrimmage.

      The home team rushed 145 yards.

   3. (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

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

2. a hostile attack.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. hurried activity; busy haste.

   the rush of city life.

   Antonyms:

   lethargy, indolence, sloth

6. a hurried state, as from pressure of affairs.

   to be in a rush.

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

8. Football.

   1. an attempt to carry or instance of carrying the ball across the line of scrimmage.

   2. an act or instance of rushing the offensive back in possession of the ball.

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

10. Movies. rushes, daily.

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

12. adrenaline rush.

    The sheer ecstatic rush in that moment was the best feeling on earth.

13. Informal. a series of lavish attentions paid a woman by a suitor.

    He gave her a big rush.

14. the rushing by a fraternity or sorority.

adjective

1. requiring or done in haste: rush work.

   a rush order;

   rush work.

2. characterized by excessive business, a press of work or traffic, etc..

   The cafeteria's rush period was from noon to two in the afternoon.

3. 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

1. any grasslike plant of the genus Juncus, having pithy or hollow stems, found in wet or marshy places.

2. any plant of the rush family.

3. any of various similar plants.

4. a stem of such a plant, used for making chair bottoms, mats, baskets, etc.

5. something of little or no value; trifle.

   not worth a rush.

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Rush ³ American  

[ruhsh] / rʌʃ /

noun

1. Benjamin, 1745–1813, U.S. physician and political leader: author of medical treatises.

2. his son Richard, 1780–1859, U.S. lawyer, politician, and diplomat.

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rush ¹ British  

/ rʌʃ /

verb

1. to hurry or cause to hurry; hasten

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

3. to proceed or approach in a reckless manner

4. to proceed with precipitate haste

5. (intr) to come, flow, swell, etc, quickly or suddenly

   tears rushed to her eyes

6. slang to cheat, esp by grossly overcharging

7. (tr) to make a concerted effort to secure the agreement, participation, etc, of (a person)

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

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noun

1. the act or condition of rushing

2. a sudden surge towards someone or something

   a gold rush

3. a sudden surge of sensation, esp produced by a drug

4. a sudden demand

adjective

1. requiring speed or urgency

   a rush job

2. characterized by much movement, business, etc

   a rush period

rush ² British  

/ rʌʃ /

noun

1. 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

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

3. something valueless; a trifle; straw

   not worth a rush

4. short for rush light

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rush Idioms  

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

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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

• rusher
  noun
• rushlike
  adjective
• unrushed
  adjective
• rushingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• rushing
  present
• rushed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• rush
  simple
• rushes
  simple
• have rushed
  perfect
• has rushed
  perfect
• am rushing
  progressive
• are rushing
  progressive
• is rushing
  progressive
• have been rushing
  perfect progressive
• has been rushing
  perfect progressive

Past

• rushed
  simple
• had rushed
  perfect
• was rushing
  progressive
• were rushing
  progressive
• had been rushing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will rush
  simple
• will have rushed
  perfect
• will be rushing
  progressive
• will have been rushing
  perfect progressive

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

See Examples For:

rush Rush rushes rushed rushing

"President Trump is going to be very patient... he doesn't want to rush to a deal," Kushner told Fox News.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

The question is will Shields train her to rush the passer so he can practice his blocking techniques against someone with agility and a hunger to do anything for biscuits?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

"When I got to the hospital I realised the gravity, my adrenaline rush washed off."

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

The frantic rush left many disappointed, though some are seeing the funny side.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

And with it fell Jonn and Rowan, gasping and shocked, tossed like corks in the bubbling rush.

From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda

After the runaway success of her breakout single, Rush, and her second album, The Year I Turned 21, Starr was beginning to feel trapped by other people's expectations.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Rush is now director of the Red Line for Civil Rights at Democracy Forward, a nonprofit group that tracks the division’s activities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026

Graham’s support for the latter earned him the nickname “Lindsey Grahamnesty” from conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

Those included former broadcaster Rush Limbaugh, a proud smoker who, sadly, died of lung cancer five years ago, at age 69.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

There is a Mad Hatter character to the Adams-Rush correspondence, as both men swapped stories and shared anecdotes in a kind of “Adams and Rush in Wonderland” mode.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

"This could potentially overtake us here, this has gotten a little scary," a crew member says as the train rushes past burning trees near Armstrong, Ontario.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Then he spots Argentine rapper Trueno striding across the stadium floor, and rushes over for a hug.

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026

Crunchyroll rushes to get them online in the approximately 200 markets where it operates, first with subtitles and then dubbed voices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

I believed that if I allowed myself to get charged up by adrenaline rushes before the game started, I would use up energy I needed for the entire game.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026

Aunt J rushes over, gives him a kiss on the cheek, and bounces out of the room.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Retail investors have rushed to secure shares, submitting 9.8 million orders—more than memory chip maker CXMT’s blockbuster offering drew last month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Luis Arturo Rios, 70, heard that his friend's body was there, and rushed to find out for himself.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Several rail routes in the area were closed, as emergency teams rushed to the scene and people were advised to avoid the area.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

He rushed for 885 yards and 13 touchdowns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

He and Katherine had rushed through the leftover chili so they could get to Chip’s house.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

One of that film’s memorable scenes featured Kirby in a tense trivia telephone showdown with the Ghostface killer, rushing through the titles of several slasher films while attempting to save one of her friends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Speaking to reporters in southwest England, Burnham said it was "not a moment for any rushing to judgement".

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

Spending commitments on data centers and other AI infrastructure have reached eye-popping levels, and Wall Street’s banks and investment firms have been rushing to finance the boom in increasingly creative ways.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

During a call with investors, Beck noted that the window for a launch before the year ends is “narrowing” and emphasized Rocket Lab’s focus on caution over rushing the rocket’s maiden test.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

Clara grabbed the first bread she could get her hands on, the half a loaf of challah sitting on the counter, and a well of salt before rushing to her sister’s side.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Related Words

• barrel
• bolt
• break
• charge
• chase
• dash
• dispatch
• fly
• hustle
• press
• push
• run
• scramble
• scurry
• shoot
• sprint
• zip