oncoming
/ˈɒnkʌmɪŋ
/adjective [attributive]
1Approaching from the front; moving towards one: she walked into the path of an oncoming car...
- Anyone who has rushed to get across a Hong Kong street in front of oncoming traffic knows that moving on two feet can be dangerous here.
- The suicidal Beatrice who is now ready to step intentionally in front of an oncoming car picks out a man across the street to focus her resolve.
- His 22-year-old brother was thrown in front of an oncoming car, which narrowly missed him after the driver swerved.
Synonyms
approaching, advancing, coming, nearing, arriving, onrushing;
forthcoming, upcoming, on the way, prospective, imminent, impending, looming, gathering, immediate, proximate;
close, (close) at hand, about to happen/be, in the offing, in the wind, to come
1.1Due to happen soon: the oncoming winter...
- In a descriptive passage that recalls Pickthall's poetry, the story attributes a pre-verbal understanding of the signs of the oncoming winter to both men.
- She smiled wryly to herself, thinking that perhaps he, like the local songbirds and crows, had flown south to avoid the oncoming winter.
- Most of the wildlife was preparing for the oncoming winter.
noun [mass noun]
The approach or onset of something: the oncoming of age...
- He shook his head and felt the familiar oncoming of tears.
- With the oncoming of beautiful weather, he clothed himself in his khaki, American Eagle shorts that showed his bronzed calf muscles exquisitely.
- They didn't speak for a while longer, as the sun moved lower in the sky, signaling the oncoming of dusk and eventually night.