rush hour

noun

1. a time of day in which large numbers of people are in transit, as going to or returning from work, and that is characterized by particularly heavy traffic.

rush hour

noun

1. a period at the beginning and end of the working day when large numbers of people are travelling to or from work

Other Words From

• rush-hour adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rush hour¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

(Imagine the Flatiron building collapsing one sunny, rush-hour evening).

From The Daily Beast

Our first step was ranking the metropolitan areas with the worst rush-hour congestion.

From The Daily Beast

On his return, he found the trains running on the five-minute, rush-hour schedule.

From Project Gutenberg

Malone hadn't reckoned with New York's rush-hour traffic, and, after seeing it, he still didn't believe it.

From Project Gutenberg

Once underway, the caravan made reckless progress through rush-hour traffic.

From Project Gutenberg

In ten minutes you long for the comparative ease of the rush-hour at Brooklyn Bridge.

From Project Gutenberg

It takes big cars to climb those hills, let alone haul the trailers that are a feature of the Pittsburgh rush-hour traffic.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• congestion
• traffic jam