1
as in attack
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence
the walls withstood the onset of the first battalion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in beginning
the point at which something begins
the claim that if you take enough vitamin C at the onset of a cold, you'll often recover faster
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of onset
Sarah Maldoror’s Sambizanga, set in 1961 at the onset of the Angolan War of Independence, follows the struggles of members of an anti-colonial movement.
—
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 Apr. 2025
But after the onset of dementia with high tau tangles, anti-tau therapy or one of the many other experimental approaches may be more effective.
—New Atlas, 3 Apr. 2025
But the club has not finished higher than eighth in the league standings since 2021, and the onset of 2025 has trended in a similar direction despite a handful of offseason moves.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2025
The World Health Organization classifies it as one of the snakes of highest medical importance in sub-Saharan Africa due to the potency of its venom and the rapid onset and severity of clinical manifestations.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for onset
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 Apr. 2025
But after the onset of dementia with high tau tangles, anti-tau therapy or one of the many other experimental approaches may be more effective.
—New Atlas, 3 Apr. 2025
But the club has not finished higher than eighth in the league standings since 2021, and the onset of 2025 has trended in a similar direction despite a handful of offseason moves.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2025
The World Health Organization classifies it as one of the snakes of highest medical importance in sub-Saharan Africa due to the potency of its venom and the rapid onset and severity of clinical manifestations.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for onset
Recent Examples of Synonyms for onset
Noun
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On Friday, a Russian ballistic missile and drone attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih -- Zelenskyy's home town -- killed 19 people, including nine children.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
6 Apr. 2025
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There has been a big labor split, however, with carpenters and laborers unions going heavily for Moreno — and waging tough attacks against Aguirre.—
Michael Smolens,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
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At the beginning of last year, Del Rey shared a snippet of the ballad without any context.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
11 Apr. 2025
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At the beginning of the 2005 season, then–NBA Commissioner David Stern implemented a dress code.—
D. Watkins,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Eight minutes of additional time permitted a late Brentford onslaught.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
3 Apr. 2025
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Trump’s onslaught of tariffs heralds a new industrial policy era in the U.S. where the government will intervene more in free markets, and companies will have less flexibility in their decision making.—
Mayra Rodriguez Valladares,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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With his win last year, Scheffler joined Horton Smith as the only two golfers to earn his first two Masters wins in five or fewer starts.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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Walmart stock was off to a hot start Wednesday morning, climbing 4 points (5.0%) in the first hour of trading.—
Kevin Ryan,
Quartz,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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For now, the Trump administration is loosening rules on commanders conducting military raids and airstrikes, expanding the range of people and places that can be targeted.—
Anna Mulrine Grobe,
Christian Science Monitor,
1 Apr. 2025
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The woman, who sued under a Jane Doe pseudonym, told jurors that Way allegedly first raped her in a bathroom during a police raid of his home in mid-February 2019.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Jeannie Leavitt, the first female fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, delivered the spring commencement speech last year.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2025
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Oscar winner Jane Fonda will deliver USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism commencement speech as its 2025 keynote speaker, the school announced today.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
3 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Beijing has also softened its regulatory assault on Chinese technology companies and the property sector.—
Jacky Wong,
WSJ,
6 Feb. 2023
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Zelenskyy has warned for weeks that Moscow aims to step up its assault after about two months of virtual stalemate along the front line that stretches across the south and east.—
Reuters,
NBC News,
31 Jan. 2023
Noun
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Veteran publishing executive Robert Gottlieb, the chairman of the literary agency Trident Media Group who has been following the trend since its inception, is only slightly more measured.—
Andy Lewis,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Apr. 2025
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Here’s How Elton John’s AIDS Foundation Is Rising to the Occasion One of the largest organizations in the world devoted to HIV/AIDS relief faces perhaps its most critical year since inception.—
Samantha Riedel,
Them.,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Onset.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/onset. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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