an attack; assault a start; beginning
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
on•set /ˈɑnˌsɛt, ˈɔn-/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- a beginning or start:the onset of winter.
- an assault or attack:the onset of the enemy.
on•set
(on′set′, ôn′-),USA pronunciation n.
- a beginning or start:the onset of winter.
- an assault or attack:an onset of the enemy.
- Phoneticsthe segment of a syllable preceding the nucleus, as the gr in great. Cf. coda (def. 5), core (def. 14).
- on + set, after the verb, verbal phrase set on 1525–35
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'onset' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Gunn effect
- access
- accession
- adult onset diabetes
- advent
- anamnesis
- assault
- attack
- avian influenza
- beginning
- catamnesis
- charge
- coda
- cold feet
- cold snap
- confinement
- core
- dash
- defibrillation
- diabetes
- drive
- dynamic range
- fit
- follicular phase
- glottal stop
- heterochrony
- incursion
- invasion
- isopectic
- juvenile-onset diabetes
- labor
- malaise
- maturity-onset diabetes
- middle-age spread
- offset
- oncoming
- onrush
- onslaught
- premenstrual syndrome
- presenile dementia
- push
- qualm
- reactive schizophrenia
- rite of passage
- safe period
- salmonellosis
- senile dementia
- show
- spring
- start