Perhaps from Middle English ruschen, russchen (“to rush, startle, make a loud rushing noise”), from Old English hrysċan (“to jolt, startle”), from Proto-West Germanic *hurskijan, from Proto-Germanic *hurskijaną (“to startle, drive”), from *hurskaz (“fast, rapid, quick”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- (“to run, hurry”).
Cognate with Old High German hursken (“to hurry, speed, incite, accelerate”), Old English horsċ (“quick, quick-witted, clever”), Old Frisian rosk, rosch (“quick, rapid, sudden”).
etymology note
An alternative etymology traces rush via Middle English ruschen (“to rush”) from Old English *rūscian (“to rush”) from Proto-Germanic *rūskōną (“to rush, storm, be fierce, be cruel”), a variant (with formative k) of Proto-Germanic *rūsōną (“to be cruel, storm, rush”) from Proto-Indo-European *(o)rewə- (“to drive, move, agitate”), making it akin to Old High German rosc, rosci (“quick”), Middle Low German rûschen (“to rush”), Middle High German rūschen, riuschen (“to rush”) (German rauschen (“to rush”)), North Frisian ruse (“to rush”), Middle Dutch ruuscen (“to make haste”), Middle Dutch rūsen (“to rush”) (Dutch ruisen (“to rush”)), Danish ruse (“to rush”), Swedish rusa (“to rush”). Compare Middle High German rūsch (“a charge, rush”). Influenced by Middle English russhen (“to force back”) from Anglo-Norman russher, russer from Old French ruser, rëuser.
Alternatively, according to the OED, perhaps an adaptation of Anglo-Norman russher, russer (“to force back, down, out of place, by violent impact", "to pull out or drag off violently or hastily”), from Old French re(h)usser, ruser (although the connection of the forms with single -s- and double -ss- is dubious; also adopted in English ruse; French ruser (“to retreat, drive back”)), from an assumed Vulgar Latin *refūsāre and Latin refundō (“I cause to flow back”), although connection to the same Germanic root is also possible. More at rouse.
Meanings
(not-comparable) Performed with, or requiring urgency or great haste, or done under pressure, especially if therefore done badly.
Perhaps from Middle English ruschen, russchen (“to rush, startle, make a loud rushing noise”), from Old English hrysċan (“to jolt, startle”), from Proto-West Germanic *hurskijan, from Proto-Germanic *hurskijaną (“to startle, drive”), from *hurskaz (“fast, rapid, quick”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- (“to run, hurry”).
Cognate with Old High German hursken (“to hurry, speed, incite, accelerate”), Old English horsċ (“quick, quick-witted, clever”), Old Frisian rosk, rosch (“quick, rapid, sudden”).
etymology note
An alternative etymology traces rush via Middle English ruschen (“to rush”) from Old English *rūscian (“to rush”) from Proto-Germanic *rūskōną (“to rush, storm, be fierce, be cruel”), a variant (with formative k) of Proto-Germanic *rūsōną (“to be cruel, storm, rush”) from Proto-Indo-European *(o)rewə- (“to drive, move, agitate”), making it akin to Old High German rosc, rosci (“quick”), Middle Low German rûschen (“to rush”), Middle High German rūschen, riuschen (“to rush”) (German rauschen (“to rush”)), North Frisian ruse (“to rush”), Middle Dutch ruuscen (“to make haste”), Middle Dutch rūsen (“to rush”) (Dutch ruisen (“to rush”)), Danish ruse (“to rush”), Swedish rusa (“to rush”). Compare Middle High German rūsch (“a charge, rush”). Influenced by Middle English russhen (“to force back”) from Anglo-Norman russher, russer from Old French ruser, rëuser.
Alternatively, according to the OED, perhaps an adaptation of Anglo-Norman russher, russer (“to force back, down, out of place, by violent impact", "to pull out or drag off violently or hastily”), from Old French re(h)usser, ruser (although the connection of the forms with single -s- and double -ss- is dubious; also adopted in English ruse; French ruser (“to retreat, drive back”)), from an assumed Vulgar Latin *refūsāre and Latin refundō (“I cause to flow back”), although connection to the same Germanic root is also possible. More at rouse.
Meanings
A sudden forward motion.
When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. […]. The captive made no resistance and came not only quietly but in a series of eager little rushes like a timid dog on a choke chain. 1963, Margery Allingham, “Meeting Point”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 228:
A gentleman of his train spurred up his horse, and, with a violent rush, severed him from the duke. 1642, Henry Wotton, A Short View of the Life and Death of George Villiers:
A surge.
A rush of business can be difficult to handle effectively for its unexpected volume.
It's a rush / To find someone before the sun comes up / To find someone before the beat is gone / Don't wanna leave all alone / Everybody scrambled to the floor once more 1983, Ashford & Simpson, “Side Effect”, in High-Rise (album):
General haste.
Diane makes an announcement to the patient passengers on the quarter-full train. There is no sense of rush - time really does move more slowly in the Highlands. The passengers, nearly all tourists, don't seem in the slightest bothered. 2023 November 29, Paul Clifton, “West is best in the Highlands”, in RAIL, number 997, page 38:
Many errors were made in the rush to finish.
A rapid, noisy flow.
a rush of water; a rush of footsteps
A sudden attack; an onslaught.
The strategy of attacking an opponent with a large swarm of weak units, rather than spending time developing their abilities.
(qualifier:contact sports) The act of running at another player to block or disrupt play.
a rush on the quarterback
(dated) A rusher; a lineman.
the center rush, whose place is in the center of the rush line
A sudden, brief exhilaration, for instance the pleasurable sensation produced by a stimulant.
She felt the familiar cocaine rush soon after injecting herself.
The rollercoaster gave me a rush.
(qualifier:university slang) A regulated period of recruitment in fraternities and sororities.
The trend burst through last week during sorority rush at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, but it continues today in the form of parody videos, deep dives on the status of various recruits and rush videos from women at other colleges across the country who are just starting the process themselves. 2021 August 17, Allie Jones, “#BamaRush, Explained”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 21 Aug 2021:
[…]daily “OOTDs” (outfits of the day), rush recap videos from freshly tanned and coiffed prospective new members (PNMs), and reactions to 18-year-old girls either elated or devastated by the high-stakes game of likability that is rush. 2023 May 24, Adrian Horton, “‘Competitive femininity’: inside the wild and secretive world of sororities”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 09 Jun 2023:
rush week
(qualifier:university slang) A person attempting to join a fraternity or sorority as part of a rush.
After a few rounds of these competitions, the rushes that survive to the end get a "bid." Again, kind of like an auction. They don’t come in nice envelopes like sororities, though. Usually what happens is that they put the rushes in a room individually and tell them they didn’t get the bid, to see how sad they get. If they get really sad, the fraternity brothers come to the room and congratulate them on being accepted to the fraternity. Then, the rushes become pledges. 2017 February 8, Youngweon Lee, “The Fraternity Rush Process As Told By Someone Who Knows Nothing About The Fraternity Rush Process”, in Bwog, archived from the original on 22 Sep 2022:
At the end of rush, the fraternities vote on who they want to extend invitations to join, and the rushes can then make their selection from the bids they get. Some rushes get bids from multiple fraternities, while others do not get bids from any. 2011 September 15, Abe Gutierrez, “To Rush Or Not To Rush: A Crash Course From A Brother Who Likes It”, in NYU Local, archived from the original on 09 Apr 2026:
(US, dated, qualifier:university slang) A perfect recitation.
(qualifier:croquet) A roquet in which the object ball is sent to a particular location on the lawn.
hy սլանալ (haste) · ru стреми́тельная ата́ка (military: sudden attack — see also onslaught) · bg втурване (sudden forward motion) · es acometida (sudden forward motion) · fi ryntäys (sudden forward motion) · de Eile (haste) · fi huuma (pleasurable sensation produced by a stimulant) · ru го́нка (haste) · tr aldıraşlık (haste) · ota قوشی (sudden forward motion) · fi yllätyshyökkäys (military: sudden attack — see also onslaught) · sq nxitim (haste) · ru напо́р (rapid, noisy flow) · pdt Bos (haste) · cmn 猛冲 (sudden forward motion) · grc ῥοῖζος (rapid, noisy flow) · it fretta (haste) · sk ponáhľanie (haste) · fi kiire (haste) · es prisa (haste) · fi rynnistys (rapid, noisy flow) · ru на́тиск (military: sudden attack — see also onslaught) · grc σπουδή (haste) · aln ngutje (haste) · sk nával (surge — see also surge) · tl pagmamadali (sudden forward motion) · uk прили́в (surge — see also surge) · sk výpad (military: sudden attack — see also onslaught) · gd dian-ruith (surge — see also surge) · tl pagmamadali (haste) · ru раш (video games: act of running at another player with large swarm of weak units — see also zerg) · uk на́тиск (rapid, noisy flow) · uk ажіота́ж (haste) · mi auraki (haste) · es presura (haste) · ru бросо́к (sudden forward motion) · sk chvat (haste) · fi huumaus (pleasurable sensation produced by a stimulant) · ota عجله (haste) · pt pressa (haste) · fi syöksy (sudden forward motion) · gd dian-ruith (haste) · gd dian-ruith (sudden forward motion) · de Hast (haste) · uk припли́в (surge — see also surge) · pdt Eil (haste) · sq turr (sudden forward motion) · fi syöksy (surge — see also surge) · fi kiksit (pleasurable sensation produced by a stimulant) · gd cabhag (haste) · grc ῥιπή (sudden forward motion) · es apuro (haste) · nb rush (surge — see also surge) · ru наплы́в (surge — see also surge) · ru прили́в (surge — see also surge) · es subidón (pleasurable sensation produced by a stimulant) · tr telaş (haste) · cs spěch (haste) · nn rush (surge — see also surge) · fi estäminen (contact sports: act of running at another player to block or disrupt play) · de Vorwärtsstürmen (sudden forward motion) · uk гони́тва (haste) · grc ἐρωή (sudden forward motion) · pl pośpiech (haste) · de Rausch (pleasurable sensation produced by a stimulant) · ru ажиота́ж (haste) · fr hâte (haste) · es éxtasis (pleasurable sensation produced by a stimulant) · ru спе́шка (haste) · sq rrebesh (rapid, noisy flow) · tl pagmamadali (surge — see also surge) · es priesa (haste) · ga ruathar (sudden forward motion) · uk по́спіх (haste) · mi tūpou (rapid, noisy flow) · sq turrje (military: sudden attack — see also onslaught) · gd deann (haste) · es tromba (rapid, noisy flow) · fi rynnäkkö (military: sudden attack — see also onslaught) · bg бързане (haste) · uk кидо́к (sudden forward motion) · grc ῥιπή (surge — see also surge) · tl kamotpusa (haste)
Perhaps from Middle English ruschen, russchen (“to rush, startle, make a loud rushing noise”), from Old English hrysċan (“to jolt, startle”), from Proto-West Germanic *hurskijan, from Proto-Germanic *hurskijaną (“to startle, drive”), from *hurskaz (“fast, rapid, quick”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- (“to run, hurry”).
Cognate with Old High German hursken (“to hurry, speed, incite, accelerate”), Old English horsċ (“quick, quick-witted, clever”), Old Frisian rosk, rosch (“quick, rapid, sudden”).
etymology note
An alternative etymology traces rush via Middle English ruschen (“to rush”) from Old English *rūscian (“to rush”) from Proto-Germanic *rūskōną (“to rush, storm, be fierce, be cruel”), a variant (with formative k) of Proto-Germanic *rūsōną (“to be cruel, storm, rush”) from Proto-Indo-European *(o)rewə- (“to drive, move, agitate”), making it akin to Old High German rosc, rosci (“quick”), Middle Low German rûschen (“to rush”), Middle High German rūschen, riuschen (“to rush”) (German rauschen (“to rush”)), North Frisian ruse (“to rush”), Middle Dutch ruuscen (“to make haste”), Middle Dutch rūsen (“to rush”) (Dutch ruisen (“to rush”)), Danish ruse (“to rush”), Swedish rusa (“to rush”). Compare Middle High German rūsch (“a charge, rush”). Influenced by Middle English russhen (“to force back”) from Anglo-Norman russher, russer from Old French ruser, rëuser.
Alternatively, according to the OED, perhaps an adaptation of Anglo-Norman russher, russer (“to force back, down, out of place, by violent impact", "to pull out or drag off violently or hastily”), from Old French re(h)usser, ruser (although the connection of the forms with single -s- and double -ss- is dubious; also adopted in English ruse; French ruser (“to retreat, drive back”)), from an assumed Vulgar Latin *refūsāre and Latin refundō (“I cause to flow back”), although connection to the same Germanic root is also possible. More at rouse.
Meanings
(intransitive, transitive) To hurry; to perform a task with great haste, often not properly or without thinking carefully.
rush one's dinner; rush off an email response
Most of the Himalayan rivers have been relatively untouched by dams near their sources. Now the two great Asian powers, India and China, are rushing to harness them as they cut through some of the world's deepest valleys. 2013 August 16, John Vidal, “China and India 'water grab' dams put ecology of Himalayas in danger”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 10, archived from the original on 29 Apr 2021, page 8:
(intransitive) To flow or move forward rapidly or noisily.
armies rush to battle; waters rush down a precipice.
Like to an entred Tyde, they all ruſh by,[…] c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii], column 1:
A party of men[…] shoud be ready to rush out; and upon the noise of the first shot immediately run down to the Gate and break in. c. 1683, Robert West, The further Exmaination of Robert West of the Middle-Temple, Barrister at Law:
The desert storm was riding in its strength; the travellers lay beneath the mastery of the fell simoom. Whirling wreaths and columns of burning wind, rushed around and over them. 1892, James Yoxall, chapter 5, in The Lonely Pyramid:
For with ſuch puiſſance and impetuous maine / Thoſe Champions broke on them, that forſt the fly, / Like ſcattered Sheepe, whenas the Shepherds ſwaine / A Lyon and a Tigre doth eſpye, / With greedy pace forth ruſhing from the foreſt nye. 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 14, page 311:
[V]pon a ſodaine, / As Falſtaffe, ſhe, and I, are newly met, / Let them [children dressed like "urchins, ouphes and fairies"] from forth a ſaw-pit ruſh at once / With ſome diffuſed ſong: Vpon their ſight / We two, in great amazedneſſe will flye: […] c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv], page 56, column 1:
I remember the sudden drop in the note of the station bell, as we roar through, perhaps with 16 coaches; sweep up to milepost 9½, and then, with increasing thunder from the exhaust, fairly rush the fells at Milnthorpe at the foot of the climb to Grayrigg, until the steady thunderous beat re-echoes past Mosedale Hall, still at 40 m.p.h. 1955 April, W. J. Alcock, “Unforgettable Moments”, in Railway Magazine, page 271:
(intransitive) To dribble rapidly.
(intransitive, qualifier:contact sports, transitive) To run directly at another player in order to block or disrupt play.
(transitive) To cause to move or act with unusual haste.
Don't rush your client or he may withdraw.
(intransitive) To make a swift or sudden attack.
(transitive) To swiftly attack without warning.
A detachment of cavalrymen rushed the enemy's position.
(slang, transitive) To attack (an opponent) with a large swarm of units.
(transitive) To transport or carry quickly.
The shuttle rushes passengers from the station to the airport.
Seeing the swelling and thinking that acute radiation damage had set in at a cellular level, Bugorski sought the help of the facility’s medical team. They rushed him to Hospital Number 6, which is where they handled radiation patients. 2026 May 6, Nicholas Muhoro, “Anatoli Bugorski Survived a 1978 Proton Beam to the Head and Kept Working Like Nothing Happened”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 11 May 2026:
The harvest is now in full swing in the Great Plains and efforts are being made to rush the grain from the fields to the country elevators and then to the large terminals, such as Kansas City, Houston, Galveston and New Orleans. 1964 June 16, “Surprise Strike Stops Traffic On 6 Railroads”, in The Indianapolis Star, volume 62, number 11, Indianapolis, Ind., page 3:
(intransitive, qualifier:croquet, transitive) To roquet an object ball to a particular location on the lawn.
(intransitive, qualifier:university slang, transitive) To attempt to join a fraternity or sorority, often involving a hazing or initiation process.
(US, dated, slang) To recite (a lesson) or pass (an examination) without an error.
(intransitive) To play at a faster tempo than one is supposed to or than the other musicians one is playing with, or to inadvertently gradually increase tempo while one is playing.
acw سِرِع (to hurry) · sq turru (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · acw استعجل (to hurry) · es apurarse (to hurry) · ar اِنْدَفَعَ (to hurry) · pt apressar-se (to hurry) · ru торопи́ться (to hurry) · arz استعجل (to hurry) · sa पापतीति (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · hu özönlik (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · hu siet (to hurry) · acw اَتْصَرْبَع (to hurry) · cmn 突襲 /突袭 ((transitive, military) to swiftly attack without warning) · fi tehdä kiireellä (to hurry) · fi rynnistää (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · mi kōkiri ((intransitive, military) to make a swift or sudden attack) · ltg skubynuotīs (to hurry) · it affrettarsi (to hurry) · fi kiidättää (to transport or carry quickly) · sq nxito (to hurry) · de überfallen ((transitive, military) to swiftly attack without warning) · fi kiirehtiä (to hurry) · ar أَسْرَعَ (to hurry) · de rauschen (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · es precipitarse (to hurry) · fi hoputtaa (to cause to move or act with unusual haste) · fi sännätä (to hurry) · fi pitää kiirettä (to hurry) · tl magmadali (to hurry) · unm shaelìntàm (to hurry) · ltg strāpuot (to hurry) · la festīnō (to hurry) · fi rientää (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · de sich beeilen (to hurry) · es apremiar (to cause to move or act with unusual haste) · sq ngutem (gheg) (to cause to move or act with unusual haste) · es correr (to hurry) · fi yllättää ((transitive, military) to swiftly attack without warning) · arz طار (to hurry) · fi ärjyä (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · pl biec (to hurry) · grc ὁρμάω (to hurry) · uk нести́сь (to hurry) · bg бързам (to hurry) · nl afraffelen (to hurry) · ota ایومك (to hurry) · fr se dépêcher (to hurry) · fi sännätä (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · fi rynnätä (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · cmn 急速做 (to hurry) · ru поторопи́ть (to cause to move or act with unusual haste) · fi syöksyä (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · ar هَرِعَ (to hurry) · es verse negro (to hurry) · grc ὁρμάω ((intransitive, military) to make a swift or sudden attack) · ja 急ぐ (to hurry) · hu hajszol (to cause to move or act with unusual haste) · tr aşıkmak (to hurry) · uk ква́пити (to cause to move or act with unusual haste) · de hetzen (to hurry) · bg нахлувам (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · it correre (to hurry) · ru торопи́ть (to cause to move or act with unusual haste) · hu tódul (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · fi tehdä yllätyshyökkäys ((transitive, military) to swiftly attack without warning) · is flýta (to hurry) · sq nxitoj (to cause to move or act with unusual haste) · de flitzen (to hurry) · hu áramlik (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · de hetzen (to cause to move or act with unusual haste) · fi kiiruhtaa (to hurry) · ru спеши́ть (to hurry) · es aguciar (to cause to move or act with unusual haste) · fi hutiloida (to hurry) · es apresurarse (to hurry) · mi huaki ((intransitive, military) to make a swift or sudden attack) · hu sürget (to cause to move or act with unusual haste) · hu kapkod (to hurry) · ru поспеши́ть (to hurry) · cmn 趕來 /赶来 (to hurry) · mi pūkeri (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · sk rútiť sa (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · eo torenti (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · fi kohista (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · fi rynnäköidä ((intransitive, military) to make a swift or sudden attack) · hu siettet (to cause to move or act with unusual haste) · ru хлы́нуть (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · lv steigties (to hurry) · la adaestuō (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · de eilen (to hurry) · fi juostenkusta (to hurry) · izh hypätä (to hurry) · hu rohan (to hurry) · fi hätäillä (to hurry) · cmn 急速去 (to hurry) · la vado (to hurry) · sq ngutu (to hurry) · es apurar (to cause to move or act with unusual haste) · mi pūkerikeri (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · es acuciar (to cause to move or act with unusual haste) · es apremir (to cause to move or act with unusual haste) · fi kiirehtiä (to cause to move or act with unusual haste) · eo impeti (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · ang ætspringan (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · fr se hâter (to hurry) · hu árad (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · sk hrnúť sa (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · mi tūpou (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · hu száguld (to hurry) · tr ivmek (to hurry) · ar عَجِلَ (to hurry) · mi auraki (to hurry) · uk спіши́ти (to hurry) · uk ква́питися (to hurry) · ru поторопи́ться (to hurry) · fi väijyttää ((transitive, military) to swiftly attack without warning) · hu szalad (to hurry) · mi whakatūkawikawi (to cause to move or act with unusual haste) · ja 駆け付ける (to hurry) · pl spieszyć się (to hurry) · de übereilen (to hurry) · pl biec (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · tr acele etmek (to hurry) · es precipitar (to hurry) · uk нахли́нути (to flow or move forward rapidly or noisily) · fi krokata (croquet: to roquet an object ball to a particular location on the lawn) · uk поспіша́ти (to hurry) · es apresurar (to cause to move or act with unusual haste)
From Middle English risshe, rusch, risch, from Old English rysċ, rysċe, risċ, risċe, from a merger of Proto-West Germanic *riskijā, from Proto-Indo-European *(H)resg- (“to weave”) and Proto-West Germanic *ruskijā, possibly borrowed from Latin rūscum (“butcher's broom”), of unknown origin + *-jā (animal and plant suffix).
Cognates include West Frisian risk, Dutch rus (“bulrush”), Norwegian Bokmål rusk, dialectal Norwegian ryskje (“hair-grass”). Further cognates include Russian ро́зга (rózga).
Meanings
Any of several stiff plants of the genus Juncus, or the family Juncaceae, having hollow or pithy stems and small flowers, and often growing in marshes or near water.
The stem of such plants used in making baskets, mats, the seats of chairs, etc.
The merest trifle; a straw.
[W]hat occaſion haſt thou to give up Eccleſdoun-Caſtle to John Bull? his Friendſhip is not vvorth a Ruſh, give it me and I'll make it vvorth the vvhile. 1712, Humphry Polesworth [pseudonym; John Arbuthnot], “The Rest of Nic’s Fetches to Keep John out of Ecclesdoun-Castle”, in Lewis Baboon Turned Honest, and John Bull Politician. Being the Fourth Part of Law is a Bottomless-Pit. […], London: […] John Morphew, […], →OCLC, page 32: