landrushes

Noun

landrush (plural landrushes)

1. (historical) An event in which previously restricted land of the United States was opened for homesteading on a first-come-first-served basis.
   • Among other regions which witnessed that land rush were the prairies of Asotin. It is safe to say that the majority of the families that located there (and the same is true of the larger part of Eastern Washington) made their locations in 1876, 1877, 1878 or 1879.1918, William Denison Lyman, Lyman's History of old Walla Walla County, volume 1

   Synonyms:

   land run

2. (figuratively) Any scramble for limited resources.
   • In the event that an applicant obtains the domain name in question through the Landrush process described below, the service will be activated[…]2001, United States Congress, ICANN, New GTLDS, and the Protection of Intellectual Property