# rush

Pronunciation: say "RUSH" /ɹʌʃ/

## Verb

1. To act or do something with great haste, often carelessly or without thinking it through.
   - Simple: To hurry and do something very fast, sometimes too fast to do it well.
   - _Don't rush important decisions just to finish the meeting early._
   - _He always rushes when he's nervous about being late._
3. To flow or move forward with great speed, often noisily.
   - Simple: To move or flow forward very fast, often with a lot of noise.
   - _Rivers rush down the mountainside after heavy rain._
   - _The crowd rushed forward as soon as the gates opened._
6. To carry or transport someone or something somewhere quickly.
   - Simple: To take someone or something somewhere very fast.
   - _Volunteers rushed supplies to the flooded town overnight._
   - _We need to rush these documents to the office before noon._
7. To make someone or something move or act with unusual haste.
   - Simple: To make someone do something faster than they want to.
   - _Don't rush the children; let them finish at their own pace._
   - _The coach rushed his players into a decision they later regretted._
10. To charge at and attack someone or something swiftly, often suddenly and without warning.
   - Simple: To run at a person or place suddenly in order to attack it.
   - _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._
13. To run directly at an opposing player to block or disrupt the play.
   - Simple: To run straight at another player to block or stop them.
   - _The defense rushed the kicker, hoping to block the punt._
   - _Linebackers rush on almost every down in this scheme._
15. To go through the recruitment process in the hope of joining a fraternity or sorority.
   - Simple: To try to join a student club called 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._
19. To play at a faster tempo than intended or than fellow musicians, or to gradually speed up unintentionally while playing.
   - Simple: To play music faster than you should, or to speed up by mistake while playing.
   - _The young violinist rushed through the allegro, leaving the cellist behind._
   - _Even seasoned players rush when the adrenaline kicks in._
21. To attack an opponent very early in a match, before they have had time to build up defenses. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To attack another player very early in a game, before they are ready.
   - _She rushed his outpost the moment the round began._
   - _Aggressive players often rush the enemy before scouting the map._

## Noun

2. A general state of haste or hurried activity, when everything must be done quickly.
   - Simple: A hurry, when you feel you need to do everything very fast.
   - _The morning rush left no time for a proper breakfast._
   - _Amid the holiday rush, the store sold out of nearly everything._
4. A surge; a sudden, strong increase or upswing.
   - Simple: A sudden, strong rise or increase in something.
   - _The website saw a rush of traffic after the announcement._
   - _A sudden rush of demand emptied the shelves overnight._
8. A sudden, brief feeling of intense excitement or pleasure, such as that produced by a stimulant.
   - Simple: A quick, strong feeling of excitement or pleasure.
   - _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._
9. A sudden, fast movement or flow of people or things, such as a crowd, water, or air, often with a loud sound.
   - Simple: A sudden, fast movement or flow of people, water, air, or other things.
   - _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._
12. A 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.
   - Simple: A tall grass-like plant growing near water. Its stems are dried and 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._
11. The act of running directly at an opposing player to block or disrupt the play.
   - Simple: The act of running straight at another player to block them.
   - _The pass rush collapsed the pocket within seconds._
   - _Their front four generate a relentless rush every game._
14. An organized period during which fraternities and sororities recruit and select new members.
   - Simple: A set time when fraternities and sororities look for and choose new members.
   - _During rush, prospective members visit several houses to meet the current brothers._
   - _The sorority planned a full week of events for rush._
16. A sudden attack or onslaught against an enemy position.
   - Simple: A sudden, strong attack by a group of people.
   - _The defenders held firm against the cavalry's rush._
   - _At dawn the regiment launched a rush on the fort._
18. A person going through the recruitment process in hope of joining a fraternity or sorority.
   - Simple: A student who is trying to join 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._
20. In 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.
   - Simple: In video games, a fast attack early in a game, made before the other player can build defenses.
   - _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._

## Adjective

5. Carried out or required under urgent time pressure, and often done badly as a result.
   - Simple: Done very fast because there isn't enough time, and often not done well.
   - _The rush job showed in the crooked shelves and missed seams._
   - _They charged a premium for rush delivery before the holidays._

## Noun

17. In American football, a lineman or rusher who charges forward to pressure the passer or stop a play. *(dated)*
   - Simple: In American football, a player on the line who pushes forward to tackle or block.
22. A flawless recitation of an assigned lesson, in older US college usage. *(dated, US)*
   - Simple: A perfect, error-free recitation of a lesson in class.

## Other meanings

- (verb) In soccer, to dribble the ball rapidly while advancing it forward.
- (noun) Something of the least possible value or importance; a mere trifle.
- (noun) A length of dried rush stem soaked in fat and used as a wick to give light.
- (noun) In croquet, a roquet that sends the object ball to a particular spot on the lawn.
- (verb) In croquet, to roquet an object ball so that it travels to a particular spot on the lawn.
- (verb) To get through a recitation or an examination perfectly, without a single mistake.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–11, 13–22** — 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.
**Meaning 12** — 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.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/rush (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).