Rush

How to spell rush

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce rush

What does rush mean?

1. verbTo move, act, or do something with great speed and urgency.
2. nounA sudden burst of activity, demand, or hurried movement.
3. nounA slender grasslike marsh plant with a hollow stem.

Rush in a sentence

• verb

  We had to rush to catch the last train home.

• noun

  The morning rush on the motorway lasts about an hour.

• noun

  A single tall green rush grew at the edge of the pond.

• verb

  There is no need to rush this report; take your time.

• noun

  A sudden rush of customers filled the shop at lunchtime.

• noun

  Old cottage floors were once strewn with dried rush for warmth.

Where does rush come from?

Language of origin: French

The verb sense of rush came into English in the 1300s from Anglo-French russher and Old French ruser, which meant to drive back, repel, or put to flight. That Old French word in turn traces back to the Latin recusare, meaning to refuse or reject, so the earliest flavour of the word carried the idea of forcefully pushing something away rather than simply hurrying. Over time the sense shifted from driving an enemy back to the modern idea of moving or acting with great speed and urgency. The plant called a rush is a completely separate word: it descends from the Old English risc or rysc, a native Germanic name for the slender marsh reeds once strewn on floors. Because the two words sound identical and are spelled the same, English speakers now treat them as a single short, simple word with no spelling trap beyond its sound-alike origins.

How the word is built

• rush (single root, from Anglo-French russher / Old French ruser: to drive back, repel)