- 1[countable, usually singular] an area of red spots on a person’s skin, caused by an illness or a reaction to something I woke up covered in a rash. I come out in a rash (= a rash appears on my skin) if I eat chocolate. The sun brought her out in (= caused) an itchy rash. a heat rash (= caused by heat) compare spot Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveskin, itchy, red, … verb + rashhave, break out in, come out in, … rash + verbappear, come out, develop, … prepositionrash on See full entry
- 2[singular] rash (of something) a lot of something; a series of unpleasant things that happen over a short period of time synonym spate a rash of movies about life in prison Rising prices are the result of the recent rash of strikes in the steel industry. There has been a rash of burglaries in the area over the last month. Word Originnoun early 18th cent.: probably related to Old French rasche ‘eruptive sores’; compare with Italian raschia ‘itch’.Extra examples He has a slight rash on his chest. Some pesticides can cause rashes and burns. The rash most commonly appears on the back. When I’m stressed I break out in a rash. This is the latest in the recent rash of movies about life in prison.
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