rush
Noun pluralrushes
Pluralrushes
- 1To act or do something with great haste, often carelessly or without thinking it through.
Don't rush important decisions just to finish the meeting early.
He always rushes when he's nervous about being late.
UsageRush a decision, rush into something, or rush to + verb: countries rushed to help.
Similarhurry, hasten, race, scramble
Oppositedawdle
- 2A general state of haste or hurried activity, when everything must be done quickly.
The morning rush left no time for a proper breakfast.
Amid the holiday rush, the store sold out of nearly everything.
UsageOften the morning rush, the holiday rush; be in a rush means be in a hurry.
Similarbustle, hustle, scramble, hurry, haste
Oppositelull
- 3To flow or move forward with great speed, often noisily.
Rivers rush down the mountainside after heavy rain.
The crowd rushed forward as soon as the gates opened.
UsageA direction usually follows: rush down, rush past, rush in.
Similarsurge, race, pour, stream, gush
Note
It is old literary stock. In The Faerie Queene of 1590, Spenser has a lion and tiger come 'forth rushing from the forest'. In Troilus and Cressida, Shakespeare's crowd rushes by 'like to an entered tide'.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Edmund Spenser wrote The Faerie Queene; its first three books, including the quoted passage in Book II, were first published in 1590. en.wikisource.org
- Spenser describes a lion and tiger with the quoted wording in Book II, Canto IX. en.wikisource.org
- The quoted comparison occurs in Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida, in Ulysses' speech to Achilles about Emulation's followers rushing past. folger.edu
- 4
- 5Carried out or required under urgent time pressure, and often done badly as a result.
The rush job showed in the crooked shelves and missed seams.
They charged a premium for rush delivery before the holidays.
UsageBefore a noun: a rush job, rush delivery, a rush order.
Similarexpress, urgent, hurried, hasty
Oppositestandard
Note
The shade depends on the noun. Rush delivery is simply urgent, while a rush job hints that the work suffered for the speed.
- 6To carry or transport someone or something somewhere quickly.
Volunteers rushed supplies to the flooded town overnight.
We need to rush these documents to the office before noon.
UsagePattern: rush someone or something to a place: they rushed her to the emergency room.
- 7
- 8A sudden, brief feeling of intense excitement or pleasure, such as that produced by a stimulant.
The first jump from the plane gave her a rush she chased ever after.
The strong coffee gave him a quick rush of energy that soon faded.
UsageOften get a rush, give someone a rush, an adrenaline rush.
Similarthrill, buzz, high, kick, jolt
Note
Brevity is part of the meaning. A rush fades quickly, which separates it from lasting happiness or excitement.
- 9A sudden, fast movement or flow of people or things, such as a crowd, water, or air, often with a loud sound.
A rush of fans surged toward the stage as the band appeared.
The dog made a sudden rush for the open door and escaped into the yard.
UsageA rush of air, water or people; make a rush for the door.
Similarsurge, dash, stampede, charge, flood
Note
Motion is where this family of meanings starts. Henry Wotton's writings, published in 1642, speak of 'a violent rush', a pairing that still sounds natural.
- 10To charge at and attack someone or something swiftly, often suddenly and without warning.
When the wall finally fell, the soldiers rushed the castle gate.
The rebels hoped to rush the palace before the guards could close the doors.
Note
When the target becomes the object, as in 'rushed the enemy's position', the sense leans toward a sudden assault on a place. The matching noun for such a charge is a sudden attack.
- 11The act of running directly at an opposing player to block or disrupt the play.
The pass rush collapsed the pocket within seconds.
Their front four generate a relentless rush every game.
UsageUse a rush on before the target: a rush on the quarterback. Also common: pass rush.
Similarcharge
Note
The player doing the charging was once called a rush himself, which is the older name for a lineman.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Rush was formerly a term for a rusher or lineman in American football. en.wiktionary.org
Less common meanings
- 12A stiff plant of the genus Juncus that grows in marshes and near water, with hollow or pithy stems. Its dried stems are woven into baskets, mats, and chair seats.
Rushes fringed the slow-moving stream where the herons fed.
A tall rush swayed at the water's edge.
- 13
- 14An organized period during which fraternities and sororities recruit and select new members.
During rush, prospective members visit several houses to meet the current brothers.
The sorority planned a full week of events for rush.
UsageMostly with no article: during rush, sorority rush, rush week.
Similarrecruitment
Note
It also works as a modifier, as in rush week and rush videos. The New York Times reported on such videos in 2021, when #BamaRush at the University of Alabama spread widely.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- The New York Times reported on the videos in 2021; an institutional open textbook identifies the article and its publication date. manifold.open.umn.edu
- The University of Alabama's sorority recruitment became a viral TikTok phenomenon in 2021. journals.sagepub.com
- 15To go through the recruitment process in the hope of joining a fraternity or sorority.
Hundreds of freshmen rush the most popular fraternities each fall.
She rushed last semester but decided not to accept a bid.
Note
The verb covers the whole attempt to join, from the first events through to a bid. The person doing it is called a rush as well.
- 16A sudden attack or onslaught against an enemy position.
The defenders held firm against the cavalry's rush.
At dawn the regiment launched a rush on the fort.
UsageArmies make a rush on or against a position.
Similarcharge, assault, attack, onslaught
Note
A soldier's term for an attack whose main weapon is speed. The aim is to close the distance before the defenders can answer. Its working partner among the verbs is to charge swiftly.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- A military rush relies on speed. uakron.edu
- The tactical aim is to advance before defenders can respond effectively. gutenberg.org
- 17In American football, a lineman or rusher who charges forward to pressure the passer or stop a play.
Similarrusher
Note
Older American football usage applied the word to the player, not the play. The forward line was the rush line, and the man in its middle was the center rush. The usage is now dated, and a modern reader says rusher or lineman instead. Treat it as period vocabulary when it turns up in older sports writing.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Older American football usage included a player sense of rush. dev.gutenberg.org
- The forward line was called the rush line. gutenberg.org
- The player in the middle of the rush line was called the center rush. dev.gutenberg.org
- 18A person going through the recruitment process in hope of joining a fraternity or sorority.
Every rush who hoped to join the fraternity had to attend three events that week.
The chapter president greeted each rush at the door.
Similarrecruit, prospect, rushee
Note
One word names both the recruitment season and the people going through it. The plural is rushes: the rushes that last to the end may get a bid. A rush is a candidate, not yet a member. Some rushes receive bids from several fraternities and choose among them, while others receive none.
- 19To play at a faster tempo than intended or than fellow musicians, or to gradually speed up unintentionally while playing.
The young violinist rushed through the allegro, leaving the cellist behind.
Even seasoned players rush when the adrenaline kicks in.
UsageThe opposite is drag (to fall behind the beat).
Similarhurry
Oppositedrag
Note
Musicians pair it with its opposite, drag. To rush is to get ahead of the beat; to drag is to fall behind it. The verb is intransitive and usually describes a fault the player did not intend: the tempo creeps up, and the player drifts ahead of the rest of the ensemble.
- 20In strategy games, a plan of attacking very early in a match, before the opponent has built up an economy or defenses, often with cheap units.
The pro player's signature rush demolished his opponent's base before any defenses were ready.
Defending against an early rush requires fast, cheap units.
Note
Strategy gamers name a whole plan of play with it: put off development, raise an army quickly, and strike before the opponent's defenses are ready. Players talk of an early rush and of defending against one. The slang synonym zerg is used in much the same way. The tactic is the noun; carrying it out is the gaming verb.
- 21To attack an opponent very early in a match, before they have had time to build up defenses.
She rushed his outpost the moment the round began.
Aggressive players often rush the enemy before scouting the map.
Similarswarm, overrun, overwhelm
Note
Gaming slang with the opponent as its object: you rush a player, or rush an outpost the moment a round begins. It is the action form of the early-attack strategy, and zerg can stand in for it.
- 22A flawless recitation of an assigned lesson, in older US college usage.
Note
An old piece of American campus slang, now dated and unlikely to be understood without explanation. It names the result rather than the effort: a recitation with no mistakes at all. A student who got through the day's lesson without a single slip was said to have made one. Use it only when quoting or describing older college life.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Rush was American college slang for a perfect recitation, describing the successful performance rather than preparation. gutenberg.org
- A student who recited a lesson perfectly could be described as having made a rush. gutenberg.org
- 23In soccer, to dribble the ball rapidly while advancing it forward.
- 24Something of the least possible value or importance; a mere trifle.
[W]hat occaſion haſt thou to give up Eccleſdoun-Caſtle to John Bull? his Friendſhip is not vvorth a Ruſh, give it me and I'll make it vvorth the vvhile.
1712, Humphry Polesworth [pseudonym; John Arbuthnot], “The Rest of Nic’s Fetches to Keep John out of Ecclesdoun-Castle” - 25A length of dried rush stem soaked in fat and used as a wick to give light.
- 26In croquet, a roquet that sends the object ball to a particular spot on the lawn.
- 27In croquet, to roquet an object ball so that it travels to a particular spot on the lawn.
- 28To get through a recitation or an examination perfectly, without a single mistake.
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Practice
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Origins
This sense perhaps comes from Middle English ruschen, from Old English hrysċan ("to jolt, startle"), tracing back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "fast" or "quick." An alternative account traces it through a Germanic root meaning "to rush or storm," and it may also have been influenced by or adapted from Anglo-Norman russher, russer ("to force back"), of disputed origin.
Old English rysċ became Middle English risshe. The Old English word arose when two Proto-West Germanic forms merged: one traces to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to weave," and the other may have come in as a borrowing of Latin rūscum ("butcher's broom"), whose origin is unknown.