race vs rush

race

verb
  • To move or drive at high speed; to hurry or speed. 

  • To compete against in a race (contest). 

  • To take part in a race (in the sense of a contest). 

  • To assign a race to; to perceive as having a (usually specified) race. 

  • To run rapidly when not engaged to a transmission. 

noun
  • Subspecies. 

  • A race condition. 

  • A breed or strain of domesticated animal. 

  • A progressive movement toward a goal. 

  • Competitive action of any kind, especially when prolonged; hence, career; course of life. 

  • A population geographically separated from others of its species that develops significantly different characteristics; a mating group. 

  • A fast-moving current of water, such as that which powers a mill wheel. 

  • A water channel, esp. one built to lead water to or from a point where it is utilised. 

  • An infraspecific rank, a pathotype, pathovar, etc. 

  • A large group of people distinguished from others on the basis of common physical characteristics, such as skin color or hair type. 

  • A contest between people, animals, vehicles, etc. where the goal is to be the first to reach some objective. Example: Several horses run in a horse race, and the first one to reach the finishing post wins 

  • A large group of sentient beings distinguished from others on the basis of a common heritage (compare species, subspecies). 

  • The bushings of a rolling element bearing which contacts the rolling elements. 

  • A rhizome or root, especially of ginger. 

  • A large group of people distinguished from others on the basis of a common heritage (compare ethnic group). See Wikipedia's article on historical definitions of race. 

  • A group or category distinguished from others on the basis of shared characteristics or qualities, for example social qualities. 

  • Swift progress; rapid motion; an instance of moving or driving at high speed. 

rush

verb
  • To hurry; to perform a task with great haste. 

  • To run directly at another player in order to block or disrupt play. 

  • To flow or move forward rapidly or noisily. 

  • To swiftly attack without warning. 

  • To play at a faster tempo than one is supposed to or than the other musicians one is playing with, or to inadvertently gradually increase tempo while one is playing. 

  • To dribble rapidly. 

  • To make a swift or sudden attack. 

  • To roquet an object ball to a particular location on the lawn. 

  • To attempt to join a fraternity or sorority, often involving a hazing or initiation process. 

  • To cause to move or act with unusual haste. 

  • To transport or carry quickly. 

  • To attack (an opponent) with a large swarm of units. 

noun
  • The merest trifle; a straw. 

  • A person attempting to join a fraternity or sorority as part of a rush. 

  • The stem of such plants used in making baskets, mats, the seats of chairs, etc. 

  • A regulated period of recruitment in fraternities and sororities. 

  • A roquet in which the object ball is sent to a particular location on the lawn. 

  • The act of running at another player to block or disrupt play. 

  • General haste. 

  • A sudden attack; an onslaught. 

  • A surge. 

  • Any of several stiff plants of the genus Juncus, or the family Juncaceae, having hollow or pithy stems and small flowers, and often growing in marshes or near water. 

  • A sudden forward motion. 

  • A sudden, brief exhilaration, for instance the pleasurable sensation produced by a stimulant. 

  • A wick. 

  • The strategy of attacking an opponent with a large swarm of weak units, rather than spending time developing their abilities. 

  • A rapid, noisy flow. 

adj
  • Performed with, or requiring urgency or great haste, or done under pressure. 

How often have the words race and rush occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )