onslaught

noun

ˈän-ˌslȯt How to pronounce onslaught (audio)
Definition of onslaughtnext
as in attack
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence the massive onslaught of enemy troops caught the country by surprise

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of onslaught Alongside the attack on the GFS Galaxy, the weekend onslaught on Hormuz shipping also hit two crude oil tankers and three refined product tankers. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026 Officials are also continuing to monitor coastal homes that were red- and yellow-tagged during the weekend onslaught. — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026 But the best vitamin C serums can still hold their own among the onslaught of new ingredients like exosomes, growth factors, and PDRN. — Deanna Pai, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026 The growing price tag to mitigate the damage and protect high-value trees from the next onslaught presents a quandary for local, state and federal agencies. — Jennifer Oldham, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for onslaught
Recent Examples of Synonyms for onslaught
  1. attack
  2. assault
  3. offensive
  4. raid
  5. offense
  6. aggression
  7. strike
Noun
  • On three separate occasions in the past week, Ukraine didn’t receive early warnings about missile attacks.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2026
  • OpenCode had been running its defense with an OpenAI model, which started to refuse its requests in the middle of the attack.
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of attack
Noun
  • Lula seized on these acts as meddling in the campaign, and as an assault on Brazilian sovereignty encouraged by the Bolsonaro family.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
  • All this was happening with a coincident and successful assault of affirmative action in higher education.
    — Kamau Bobb October 21, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of assault
Noun
  • Ukrainian officials say that the offensive has disrupted Russia’s assault on Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, key Ukrainian strongholds in the Donbas region.
    — Anastasiia Parafeniuk, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Advertisement Leaders contemplating an October surprise or an offensive after the midterms must remember that uncomfortable truth.
    — Ali Vaez, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of offensive
Noun
  • Five dolphins died in less than eight months, sparking public outrage, raids by law enforcement and a criminal investigation.
    — Valerie Greene, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • This housing raid would put roughly 150,000 homes under the government’s control — about seven percent of Berlin’s housing supply — in what would no doubt be a doomed effort to curb rising rents.
    — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of raid
Noun
  • The offenses, said the Met Police, are alleged to have taken place between 2007 and 2016 and relate to five women.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The offense often came into focus late in games once Hopkins stepped on the field as the team’s striker.
    — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of offense
Noun
  • These can range from infidelity and intimidation to aggression and extreme violence.
    — David DeMatteo, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
  • On the other hand, Washington cannot allow Chinese aggression against its neighbors.
    — Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of aggression
Noun
  • The Syrian government disputed the claim, saying the strikes left five dead, including women and children, as well as an elderly man.
    — Aoife Walsh, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Also according to the emergency service, consecutive Russian strikes on a shopping center in Kharkiv injured four people late on Saturday, including three rescue workers.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of strike

Browse Nearby Words

onsets
onslaught
onslaughts
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Cite this Entry

“Onslaught.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/onslaught. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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