bum-rush

verb

ˈbəm-ˈrəsh How to pronounce bum-rush (audio)
bum-rushed; bum-rushing; bum-rushes
Synonyms of bum-rushnext

transitive verb

: to attack or seize with an overpowering rush
bum-rush the stage

Examples of bum-rush in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Ground vermin don’t tend to be bum-rushed out in a few hours. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 8 Dec. 2025 The three times in the media center when reporters bum-rushed the main news conference room. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 8 June 2026 The Cardinals bum-rushed the southpaw for a pair of solo homers in the opening frame. — Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2024 When Klepper was covering a protest at a school board meeting, somebody bum-rushed him. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 15 May 2025 Listen to him bum-rush a workers’ union meeting and begin describing, with over-enthusiastic earnestness, how dogs get a raw deal. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025 Reenactors portraying British sentries were bum-rushed by a swarm of whooping Green Mountain Boys. — Caity Weaver, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025 These artists bum-rushed the entire industry — from blazing defiant lyrics to becoming record mogul millionaires in corporate boardrooms; baggy jeans, baseball caps, leather sneakers and hoodies became a billion-dollar market. — Ronald E. Scott, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bum-rush was in 1985

Browse Nearby Words

bum rap
bum-rush
bum steer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bum-rush.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bum-rush. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for bum-rush

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