How to Use oncoming in a Sentence

oncoming

adjective
  • That will make the oncoming bursts of light seem less stark.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 4 Jan. 2026
  • He was struck by the oncoming train and died at the scene, cops said.
    — Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
  • The cart then saves the boy’s life by blocking an oncoming car.
    — New York Times, 8 June 2021
  • Time was of the essence due to oncoming winter.
    — Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
  • The oncoming car slowed, slowed, and slowed more, but never stopped.
    — Doug MacCash | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, 23 Dec. 2020
  • Hassen tried to get out of the way of the oncoming car but was unable.
    — Nick Lentz, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
  • When on the road, look at your own lane instead of oncoming traffic.
    — Matt Fuchs, Time, 4 Aug. 2025
  • The chase crosses in front of an oncoming car, and the car strikes the robber.
    — Martin Weil, Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2018
  • The moped crashed into an oncoming car as the two fled the scene, police said.
    — Ali Bauman, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
  • More than once, Woodall has to pull me back from oncoming traffic.
    — Allison P. Davis, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2025
  • The lights from an oncoming pickup truck hit him dead in the eyes, blinding him.
    — Adiel Kaplan, NBC News, 11 May 2023
  • An oncoming car hit the car broadside, killing his brother at the scene.
    — Christine Dempsey, courant.com, 13 June 2021
  • The truck then crossed into oncoming traffic and struck the bus.
    — Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 6 Sep. 2023
  • An oncoming Jeep struck Michael, killing him.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 30 Nov. 2025
  • That way both can talk to the kids and warn them of oncoming cyclists or those coming up on the rear.
    — Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Kearns left the house, biked to a local train crossing, and jumped in front of an oncoming train.
    — Sheelah Kolhatkar, The New Yorker, 10 May 2021
  • One child was about to board the bus and had to be pulled out of the way of the oncoming truck, Gillen said.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 12 May 2021
  • Much of the route had no sidewalks, with steep hills and sharp turns, where oncoming traffic was hard to see.
    — Chris Papst, Baltimore Sun, 9 July 2024
  • The pair fled the scene on the moped before crashing into an oncoming car.
    — Patrick Smith, NBC news, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Some glimpse a proverbial light at the end of the tunnel; others see an oncoming train.
    — Washington Post, 28 Dec. 2020
  • Devine then walked right into the road - and into the path of an oncoming cement truck.
    — Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 3 June 2025
  • The vehicle then slid into the oncoming lane of the school bus.
    — CBS News, 28 Oct. 2020
  • Price passed a car by driving into the lane of oncoming traffic.
    — Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 27 Mar. 2026
  • An oncoming semi-truck struck her car soon after, pinning her to the side of the bridge.
    — NBC News, 1 Mar. 2021
  • Officers at the scene said the man drove around the crossing guards to try to beat the oncoming train.
    — Alysa Guffey, The Indianapolis Star, 22 Dec. 2024
  • Your eyes struggle to process how fast asphalt is oncoming through the low slung windshield.
    — Sean Evans, Robb Report, 17 Apr. 2025
  • That’s kind of like standing on tracks with the hot light of an oncoming train barreling down on you.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2 Feb. 2023
  • Oncoming cars often read nearly 2x my speed and trees on the side of the road were much less than mine.
    — Anton Olsen, WIRED, 18 June 2010
  • The oncoming cars, like lines of golden-eyed insects rushing to swarm him.
    — Weike Wang, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
  • At times, they could be seen swerving into the oncoming lanes of traffic.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 29 Nov. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oncoming.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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