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rush

/ɹʌʃ/noun, verb, adjective

rush is spelled R-U-S-H: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 30 times per million words in written English, the 3,114th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, rush means “A sudden forward motion” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of rush is rushes.

How many letters and syllables are in rush?

Letters4: R-U-S-H
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing30 times per million words; the 3,114th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is rush?

Rush appears 30 times per million words in written English, the 3,114th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce rush?

  • /ɹʌʃ/
  • /ɹʊʃ/

Rush has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-rush.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-rush.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of rush

  • rushes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • rushing participle, present
  • rushed participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does rush mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A sudden forward motion.

  2. 2

    A surge.

    A rush of business can be difficult to handle effectively for its unexpected volume.

  3. 3

    General haste.

    Many errors were made in the rush to finish.

  4. 4

    A rapid, noisy flow.

    a rush of water; a rush of footsteps

  5. 5

    A sudden attack; an onslaught.

  6. 6

    The strategy of attacking an opponent with a large swarm of weak units, rather than spending time developing their abilities.

  7. 7

    The act of running at another player to block or disrupt play.

    a rush on the quarterback

  8. 8

    datedA rusher; a lineman.

    the center rush, whose place is in the center of the rush line

  9. 9

    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.

  10. 10

    The stem of such plants used in making baskets, mats, the seats of chairs, etc.

  11. 11

    The merest trifle; a straw.

  12. 12

    A wick.

verb

  1. 1

    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

  2. 2

    To flow or move forward rapidly or noisily.

    armies rush to battle; waters rush down a precipice.

  3. 3

    To dribble rapidly.

  4. 4

    To run directly at another player in order to block or disrupt play.

  5. 5

    To cause to move or act with unusual haste.

    Don't rush your client or he may withdraw.

  6. 6

    To make a swift or sudden attack.

  7. 7

    To swiftly attack without warning.

    A detachment of cavalrymen rushed the enemy's position.

  8. 8

    slangTo attack (an opponent) with a large swarm of units.

adjective

  1. 1

    Performed with, or requiring urgency or great haste, or done under pressure, especially if therefore done badly.

    a rush job

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Rush in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
GermanVorwärtsstürmen (sudden forward motion), Eile, Hast (haste), Rausch (pleasurable sensation produced by a stimulant), hetzen, sich beeilen (to hurry)
Spanishacometida (sudden forward motion), prisa, priesa, presura, apuro (haste), tromba (rapid, noisy flow)
Frenchhâte (haste), se dépêcher, se hâter (to hurry), jonc (plant)
Portuguesepressa (haste), apressar-se (to hurry), junco (plant)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does rush come from?

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”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after rush