Rush dictionary definition

rush

[rus̸h]

verb

Rush is defined as to suddenly move quickly or to hurry.
An example of to rush is for someone to run after another person who just left in order to catch up with them.

rush

intransitive verb

1. to move or go swiftly or impetuously; dash
2. to dash recklessly or rashly
to make a swift, sudden attack or assault (on or upon); charge
to pass, come, go, come into view, act, etc. swiftly, suddenly, or hastily: a thought rushing into the mind
☆ Football to run with the ball after a direct snap from the center or after a handoff or pitchout

Origin of rush

Middle English ruschen ; from Anglo-French russher ; from Middle French ruser, to repel, avert, origin, originally , to mislead ; from Old French reuser: see ruse

transitive verb

to move, send, push, drive, etc. swiftly, violently, or hastily: we rushed him to the hospital
to do, make, or cause to move, go, or act, with unusual or excessive speed or haste; hurry: to rush an order, a person at work, etc.
1. to make a swift, sudden attack or assault on; charge
2. to overcome or capture by such an attack or assault
☆ Informal
1. to lavish attentions on, as in courting
2. to entertain with parties or the like prior to inviting to join a fraternity or sorority
☆ Football
1. to run with (the ball) after a direct snap from the center or after a handoff or pitchout
2. blitz

noun

the act of rushing
an eager movement of many people to get to a place, as to a region where gold has recently been found
intense activity; busyness; haste; hurry: the rush of modern life
a sudden, swift attack or assault; onslaught
☆ a kind of scrimmage contest between groups of college students, as between freshmen and sophomores
a press, as of business or traffic, necessitating unusual haste or effort: the morning rush
Slang
1. the first, sudden euphoric effect of taking a narcotic, amphetamine, etc.
2. a sudden thrill of pleasure
☆ Football a play in which an offensive back rushes with the ball
Film a first print made shortly after the filming of a scene or scenes, for inspection by the director, etc.

adjective

necessitating haste: rush orders
characterized by a rush (): rush hours

Related Forms:

rusher
noun

rush Idioms

with a rush

suddenly and forcefully

noun

any of a genus (Juncus) of plants of the rush family, having small, greenish flowers: rushes usually grow in wet places and the round stems and pliant leaves of some species are used in making baskets, mats, ropes, etc.
any of various similar plants, as the bulrushes or horsetails

Origin of rush

Middle English rusche ; from Old English risc, akin to Middle Dutch risch, Norwegian rusk ; from Indo-European base an unverified form rezg-, to plait, twist from source Sanskrit rájju, Classical Latin restis, cord

adjective

designating a family (Juncaceae, order Juncales) of grasslike monocotyledonous plants with a 6-parted perianth, tufted leaves, and the fruit in capsules

Rush, Benjamin 1745-1813; Am. physician: signer of the Declaration of Independence

rush

verb

rushed, rush·ing, rush·es

verb

, intransitive

To move swiftly; hurry: rushed after the bus.
To act with great haste: rushed to finish the project.
To make a sudden or swift attack or charge: The cavalry rushed down upon the encampment.
To flow or surge rapidly, often with noise: Water rushed over the cliff.
Football To advance the ball or attempt to advance the ball from scrimmage by carrying it rather than passing.

verb

, transitive

To cause to move rapidly: had to rush fresh troops to the front lines.
To cause to act with haste: made a mistake because we were rushed.
To perform with great haste: had to rush the project to complete it on time.
To attack swiftly and suddenly: Infantry rushed the enemy after the artillery barrage.
To transport or carry hastily: An ambulance rushed her to the hospital.
To entertain or pay great attention to: They rushed him for their fraternity.
Football To run toward (a passer or kicker) in order to block or disrupt a play.

noun

A sudden movement toward something: a rush to leave the room.
a. An anxious and eager movement to get to or from a place: a rush to the goldfields.
b. A sudden widespread demand: a rush for gold coins.
General haste or busyness: The office always operates in a rush.
A sudden attack; an onslaught.
A rapid, often noisy flow or passage: listened to the rush of the wind.
A large or overwhelming number or amount: a rush of last-minute holiday orders.
Football
a. An attempt to advance the ball from scrimmage by carrying it.
b. An act of running at a passer or kicker in order to block or prevent a play.
Sports A rapid advance of the puck toward the opponent's goal in ice hockey.
rushes The first, unedited print of a movie scene.
A drive by a Greek society on a college campus to recruit new members: a sorority rush.
a. A surge or release of emotion: felt a rush of fear. See Synonyms at flow.
b. A sudden, brief exhilaration: felt a heady rush when her name was called out as the winner.
c. The intensely pleasurable sensation experienced immediately after use of a stimulant or a mind-altering drug.

adjective

Performed with or requiring great haste or urgency: a rush job; a rush order.

Origin of rush

Middle English rushen, from Anglo-Norman russher, variant of Old French ruser, to drive back, from Latin recūsāre, to reject : re-, re- + causārī, to give as a reason (from causa, cause).

Related Forms:

rush′er
noun

noun

a. Any of various grasslike wetland plants of the genus Juncus, having stiff hollow or pithy stems and small usually clustered brownish flowers.
b. Any of various similar plants, such as a bulrush.
The stem of one of these plants, used in making baskets, mats, and chair seats.

Origin of rush

Middle English, from Old English rysc.

rush

Noun

(plural rushes)

Any of several stiff aquatic or marsh plants of the genus Juncus, having hollow or pithy stems and small flowers.
The stem of such plants used in making baskets, mats, the seats of chairs, etc.
The merest trifle; a straw.

Origin

From Middle English rusch, risch, from Old English rysc, risc, from Proto-Germanic *ruskijō (compare West Frisian risk, Dutch rus (“bulrush”), dialectal Norwegian ryskje (“hair-grass”)), from Proto-Indo-European *resg- ‘to plait, wattle’ (compare Irish rusg (“bark”), Latin restis (“rope”), Latvian režģis ‘basketwork’, Albanian rrush (“grapes”), Serbo-Croatian rògoz, Ancient Greek ἄρριχος (arrikhos, “basket”), Persian (raɣza, “woollen cloth”)).

Noun

(plural rushes)

A sudden forward motion.
A surge.
A rush of business can be difficult to handle effectively for its unexpected volume.
General haste.
Many errors were made in the rush to finish.
A rapid, noisy flow.
a rush of water; a rush of footsteps
(military) A sudden attack; an onslaught.
(contact sports) The act of running at another player to block or disrupt play.
a rush on the quarterback
A sudden, brief exhilaration, for instance the pleasurable sensation produced by a stimulant.
The rollercoaster gave me a rush.
(US, figuratively) A regulated period of recruitment in fraternities and sororities.
rush week
(croquet) A roquet in which the object ball is sent to a particular location on the lawn.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present rushes, present participle rushing, simple past and past participle rushed)

(intransitive) To hurry; to perform a task with great haste.
rush one's dinner; rush off an email response
(intransitive) To flow or move forward rapidly or noisily.
armies rush to battle; waters rush down a precipice.
(intransitive, soccer) To dribble rapidly.
(intransitive, contact sports) To run directly at another player in order to block or disrupt play.
To cause to move or act with unusual haste.
Don't rush your client or he may withdraw.
(intransitive, military) To make a swift or sudden attack.
(military) To swiftly attach to without warning.
To transport or carry quickly.
The shuttle rushes passengers from the station to the airport.
(intransitive, croquet) To roquet an object ball to a particular location on the lawn.
(US, slang, dated) To recite (a lesson) or pass (an examination) without an error.

Adjective

(not comparable)

Performed with, or requiring urgency or great haste, or done under pressure.
a rush job

Usage notes

Used only before a noun.

Origin

Perhaps from Middle English ruschen, russchen (“to rush, startle”), from Old English hryscan, hrȳscan (“to jolt, startle”), from Proto-Germanic *hruskijaną (“to startle, drive”), *hruskaną, *hurskaną (“to be quick, be clever”), from Proto-Indo-European *kors- (“to run, hurry”). Cognate with Old High German hurscan (“to speed, accelerate”), Old English horsc (“quick, quick-witted, clever”). More at hurry. Perhaps related to Albanian rash (“I fell, precipitate”).

Proper noun

An English occupational surname for someone who made things from rushes.

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