rush hour

Meaning

This phrase refers to the busy times of day when roads and public transit are highly congested because people are commuting to or from work or school. It typically occurs in the morning and late afternoon on weekdays. The tone is neutral and descriptive.

Examples

• If we leave now, we will get stuck in the evening rush hour.

  If we leave now, we will get stuck in the evening rush hour.

• The subway is incredibly crowded during morning rush hour.

  The subway is incredibly crowded during morning rush hour.

• I try to avoid driving during rush hour because it doubles my commute time.

  I try to avoid driving during rush hour because it doubles my commute time.

• Rush hour in this city lasts much longer than just one hour.

  Rush hour in this city lasts much longer than just one hour.

• We should wait until after rush hour to start our road trip.

  We should wait until after rush hour to start our road trip.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I hate driving in the rush time.

  ✓ I hate driving during rush hour.

  'Rush hour' is the fixed compound noun in English. 'Rush time' is a literal translation from other languages and is not used.

• ✗ There is a big rush hour on the highway today.

  ✓ The traffic is heavy during rush hour today.

  'Rush hour' is a time period, not the traffic itself. You do not say 'there is a rush hour,' but rather 'it is rush hour' or 'there is rush-hour traffic.'

Related Expressions

Practice

• Try to avoid the subway between 8:00 and 9:00 AM because of the morning ___.

  💡 The busiest time for commuting.

  Show answer

  rush hour

• It took us two hours to get home because we got stuck in ___ traffic.

  💡 Adjective describing commuter traffic.

  Show answer

  rush-hour