1
a
: an overflowing of the land by water
b
: a drenching rain
a deluge causing mudslides in the area
2
: an overwhelming amount or number
received a deluge of angry phone calls
Synonyms
Examples of deluge in a Sentence
Noun
The deluge caused severe mudslides.
a deluge of thanks and appreciation for the returning troops
Verb
Heavy rains deluged the region.
deluged with requests for help
Recent Examples on the Web
Matt Simon, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2024
The Ural River, which flows from Russia’s Ural Mountains through Kazakhstan to the Caspian Sea, was swelled this week by snow melt, causing a deluge in dozens of towns and cities along the border.
—Anna Chernova, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
During the next five days, the Vampire unleashed a deluge of heavy ordnance on the root cellar, including twenty-pound thermobaric bombs.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
And our droughts and deluges are projected to become more extreme with climate change.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Then came a deluge in subsequent months, enough to bring the state back to a normal snowfall level and then some, state leaders announced on Tuesday during the most crucial snow measurement of the year.
—Jill Cowan, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
An outbreak of black pod disease, a fungal ailment that wrecks cocoa trees, followed the deluge, further eroding crop yields.
—David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
But after a deluge of overdose deaths and frequent chaos in the streets of Portland, Gov. Tina Kotek signed into law on Monday a measure to restore criminal penalties for drug possession.
—Mike Baker, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
These days effective communication is more important and more valuable than ever, with the power to cut through the nonstop deluge of data and information flooding employees and consumers alike.
—Johanna Herrmann, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
John Bacon, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2024
Early February storms deluged the state in historic rainfall, damaging homes, triggering debris flows and mudslides and killing several people in Northern California.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024
Confused and concerned residents at Overlook and nearby deluged Carmel officials with questions in what showed classic warning signs of a major NIMBY (Not in my backyard) fight.
—John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Jan. 2024
East Africa has just suffered its worst drought in 40 years, and its sunbaked soils are now deluged by the worst flooding in a century.
—Katharine Houreld, Washington Post, 2 Dec. 2023
By Monday, officials warned that the Los Angeles area could be deluged by the equivalent of a year’s rainfall in a single day.
—Somini Sengupta, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2024
California was deluged by damaging atmospheric rivers last year and now the Golden State must brace for two more on the way this week.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024
Related Articles Realtor associations deluged with ‘copycat’ commission lawsuits
Questions around water supplies for a new city in California, where underground aquifers are severely depleted, have swirled around the project.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2024
Atmospheric rivers are expected in the Pacific Northwest next week as heavy rainfall continues to deluge the region.
—Gina Martinez, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2023
Noun
A lot of this funding is going toward retrofitting infrastructure to adapt to those sorts of deluges.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 16 Apr. 2024
The Ural River, which flows from Russia’s Ural Mountains through Kazakhstan to the Caspian Sea, was swelled this week by snow melt, causing a deluge in dozens of towns and cities along the border.
—Anna Chernova, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
During the next five days, the Vampire unleashed a deluge of heavy ordnance on the root cellar, including twenty-pound thermobaric bombs.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
And our droughts and deluges are projected to become more extreme with climate change.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Then came a deluge in subsequent months, enough to bring the state back to a normal snowfall level and then some, state leaders announced on Tuesday during the most crucial snow measurement of the year.
—Jill Cowan, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
An outbreak of black pod disease, a fungal ailment that wrecks cocoa trees, followed the deluge, further eroding crop yields.
—David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
But after a deluge of overdose deaths and frequent chaos in the streets of Portland, Gov. Tina Kotek signed into law on Monday a measure to restore criminal penalties for drug possession.
—Mike Baker, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
These days effective communication is more important and more valuable than ever, with the power to cut through the nonstop deluge of data and information flooding employees and consumers alike.
—Johanna Herrmann, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Verb
The tail end of a powerful atmospheric river storm that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of California homes and businesses was deluging the state Monday with more heavy rain, mudslides, flooding, and several feet of snow in the mountains.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2024
Early February storms deluged the state in historic rainfall, damaging homes, triggering debris flows and mudslides and killing several people in Northern California.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024
Confused and concerned residents at Overlook and nearby deluged Carmel officials with questions in what showed classic warning signs of a major NIMBY (Not in my backyard) fight.
—John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Jan. 2024
East Africa has just suffered its worst drought in 40 years, and its sunbaked soils are now deluged by the worst flooding in a century.
—Katharine Houreld, Washington Post, 2 Dec. 2023
By Monday, officials warned that the Los Angeles area could be deluged by the equivalent of a year’s rainfall in a single day.
—Somini Sengupta, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2024
California was deluged by damaging atmospheric rivers last year and now the Golden State must brace for two more on the way this week.
—Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024
Related Articles Realtor associations deluged with ‘copycat’ commission lawsuits
Questions around water supplies for a new city in California, where underground aquifers are severely depleted, have swirled around the project.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2024
Atmospheric rivers are expected in the Pacific Northwest next week as heavy rainfall continues to deluge the region.
—Gina Martinez, CBS News, 3 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deluge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to deluge
Dictionary Entries Near deluge
Cite this Entry
“Deluge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deluge. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share