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View synonyms for onset

onset

[ on-set, awn- ]

noun

  1. a beginning or start:

    the onset of winter.

  2. an assault or attack:

    an onset of the enemy.

  3. Phonetics. the segment of a syllable preceding the nucleus, as the gr in great. Compare coda ( def 5 ), core 1( def 14 ).


onset

/ ˈɒnˌsɛt /

noun

  1. an attack; assault
  2. a start; beginning


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Word History and Origins

Origin of onset1

1525–35; on + set, after the verb phrase set on

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Compare Meanings

How does onset compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

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Example Sentences

As CO2 levels began to climb past 280 parts per million following the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the mid-1700s, the oxygen-18 values also began to rise, with corresponding sea ice decreases.

Indeed, some advertisers like Burberry are due to restart global reviews that were postponed at the onset of the coronavirus crisis, while others like Unilever are long overdue one.

From Digiday

At the onset of the pandemic, Jalbert says, it was largely assumed in the industry that housing would slump or crash.

From Fortune

The firm, and by extension the city, learned in the process what they should have known from the onset — and what the building’s former tenant, Sempra Energy, had already told the public.

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Africa has seen lower numbers of cases and death compared with other continents, on a “per million” basis.

From Quartz

I was never sure whether this was phlegm or the onset of lunacy.

Believe it or not, a break at the onset of mild cramps may let you play in the game for longer.

The adults then burn one down but realize drugs are less fun with the onset of parental responsibilities.

Phillips did return to the show two seasons later, but was fired in the ninth season after collapsing onset.

He remembers how confused and scared people were by the onset of AIDS.

Instantly the Clydesdale men mounted and formed to meet the expected onset.

He was wonderful in his brilliant, undismayed enthusiasm, as he followed the reckless charge, the shining onset of the talents.

Lannes, who had simultaneously made a final onset, was also beaten off by the superior force of his enemy.

It was like some change in the cycle of nature, like the onset of spring—a sharp brightness, an uneasiness.

This onset boded destruction to herself and all her friends; above all, to him she loved best.

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