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onslaught

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
on·slaught  (nslôt, ôn-)
n.
1. A violent attack.
2. An overwhelming outpouring: an onslaught of third-class mail.

[Alteration (influenced by obsolete slaughte, slaughter) of Dutch aanslag, a striking at, from Middle Dutch aenslach : aen-, on; see an- in Indo-European roots + slach, a striking.]

onslaught
Noun
a violent attack [Middle Dutch aenslag]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.onslaught - a sudden and severe onset of trouble
trouble - an event causing distress or pain; "what is the trouble?"; "heart trouble"
2.onslaughtonslaught - (military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons); "the attack began at dawn"
military operation, operation - activity by a military or naval force (as a maneuver or campaign); "it was a joint operation of the navy and air force"
ground attack - an attack by ground troops
assault - close fighting during the culmination of a military attack
charge - an impetuous rush toward someone or something; "the wrestler's charge carried him past his adversary"; "the battle began with a cavalry charge"
banzai attack, banzai charge - a mass attack of troops without concern for casualties; originated by Japanese who accompanied it with yells of `banzai'
diversionary attack, diversion - an attack calculated to draw enemy defense away from the point of the principal attack
penetration, incursion - an attack that penetrates into enemy territory
blitzkrieg, blitz - a swift and violent military offensive with intensive aerial bombardment
strike - an attack that is intended to seize or inflict damage on or destroy an objective; "the strike was scheduled to begin at dawn"
counterattack, countermove - an attack by a defending force against an attacking enemy force in order to regain lost ground or cut off enemy advance units etc.
bombing, bombardment - an attack by dropping bombs
firing, fire - the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy; "hold your fire until you can see the whites of their eyes"; "they retreated in the face of withering enemy fire"
strafe - an attack of machine-gun fire or cannon fire from a low flying airplane; "the next morning they carried out a strafe of enemy airfields"
coup de main, surprise attack - an attack without warning
armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine - the military forces of a nation; "their military is the largest in the region"; "the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker"
3.onslaught - the rapid and continuous delivery of linguistic communication (spoken or written); "a barrage of questions"; "a bombardment of mail complaining about his mistake"
language, linguistic communication - a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols; "he taught foreign languages"; "the language introduced is standard throughout the text"; "the speed with which a program can be executed depends on the language in which it is written"

onslaught
Translations
Spanish onslaught [ˈɔnslɔːt] nataque m; embestida
French onslaught [ˈɔnslɔːt] nattaque f, assaut m
German onslaught [ˈɔnslɔːt] nAttacke f
Italian onslaught [ˈɔnslɔːt] nattacco, assalto

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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
Nature herself Doth aid the Tartar with a deadly blast Following the wild onslaught.
The French invaders, like an infuriated animal that has in its onslaught received a mortal wound, felt that they were perishing, but could not stop, any more than the Russian army, weaker by one half, could help swerving.
There they await the onslaught, the inexperienced ones clutching their revolvers and treading on twigs, but the old hands sleeping tranquilly until just before the dawn.
 
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