onslaught
n. countablen. a very powerful or violent attack that is hard to stop. It can describe a physical fight or a large amount of something difficult to deal with, like work or questions.
n. a fierce or destructive attack; a large-scale, overwhelming onset of something. Often used metaphorically to describe an intense influx of information, demands, or sensory input.
The team struggled to survive the onslaught of attacks.
After the news broke, the press office faced a constant onslaught of phone calls from concerned citizens.
The small coastal village was unprepared for the onslaught of the hurricane, which brought record-breaking winds and a devastating storm surge that reshaped the shoreline.
From on- + slaught. Formed after Middle Dutch aenslag, aenslach, equivalent to aen + slag, although slaught corresponds to Middle Dutch slacht; slag is cognate with the English weaving term sley. Compare Dutch aanslag and German Anschlag.
Commonly paired with the preposition 'of' to specify the nature of the attack or influx.