rush
verb (used without object)
to move, act, or progress with speed, impetuosity, or violence.
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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)
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rushes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rushed,
past participle, past
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rushing
present participle
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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
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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
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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:
At the very least, RSI is saying there’s no reason to rush to buy at current levels.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
Despite Musk’s comments on credit risk, his company is participating in the rush to borrow money to fund the infrastructure buildout.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Bryan is hardly the first child of a rich and famous music superstar to take a stab at high-level college football, with the mid-2010s experiencing a rush of attempts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
But I’ll never be able to recreate the rush of hearing its blossoming piano and strings for the first time, sensing the soundwaves from those Klipschorn speakers penetrate my skin.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026
We met the girls as they came barreling out of their own door in the same rush to button jackets and stumble into shoes mid-sprint.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
When cosmetics billionaire William P. Lauder bought Rush Limbaugh’s Palm Beach estate for $155 million, it featured a 24,000-square-foot main house with a salon modeled after Versailles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
But the tribe was forced out during the Gold Rush and, decades later, a railroad was built along the river in this verdant stretch of Humboldt County.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Or to precede: Had it never taken place, the vast internal migration ignited by the California Gold Rush would have remained the single most interesting event in 19th-century America.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
The most well-thought-out example is a Foreign Affairs essay published in August by Kurt M. Campbell and Rush Doshi, who served on the National Security Council during the Biden administration.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
These occurred sporadically in his personal correspondence with Abigail, who remained ensconced at home in Quincy, Massachusetts,and with old revolutionary comrades like Benjamin Rush.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Asked if he could see obvious flaws in the construction process, he said: "Everyone rushes to build in this neighbourhood."
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
Now, before everyone rushes to outrage, let me say this: I do not think anybody involved was malicious.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
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
Arlo comes down from his room and rushes to the table, saying he’s starving.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Berry rushed to set up a GiveSendGo crowdfunding campaign that quickly hauled in more than $30,000 to cover legal fees.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026
Recalling how he rushed to the site of the crash, Fernandez said he was confronted with "an image of desolation, despair, uncertainty, death".
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
As they left the airport, Bolsonaro and his family were rushed into a waiting SUV.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
There should be lots of running against Glendale, which has its own top running back in Arman Papazyan, who has rushed for nearly 1,500 yards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
I rushed over and grabbed Rowdy’s collar with both hands.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
The Wildcats are averaging 204.6 rushing yards per game—the second-most in the Big Ten.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
But the third-year quarterback responded in style, rushing for a 62-yard touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals - the longest QB run since 2022.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
After a recent stretch of selling in the S&P 500, driven by worries about companies spending on artificial intelligence, investors don’t seem to be rushing back in to buy beaten-down stocks, at least not yet.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Kyren Williams and Blake Corum must build on an impressive combo rushing performance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026
Debris began rushing by: first sticks, then branches, then entire trunks of trees.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
