flood

noun

\ ˈfləd

Definition of flood

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a rising and overflowing of a body of water especially onto normally dry land The flood inundated the whole area. also : a condition of overflowing rivers in flood

b capitalized : a flood described in the Bible as covering the earth in the time of Noah

2 : the flowing in of the tide

3 : an overwhelming quantity or volume received a flood of phone calls also : a state of abundant flow or volume or of greatest activity —often used in the phrase in full flood a debate in full flood a political movement in full flood

4 : floodlight

flood

verb

flooded; flooding; floods

Definition of flood (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to cover with a flood : inundate

2a : to fill abundantly or excessively flood the market

b : to supply an excess of fuel to (an engine, a carburetor, etc.) so that engine operation is hampered

intransitive verb

1 : to pour forth, go, or come in a flood

2 : to become filled with a flood

Other Words from flood Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about flood

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Examples of flood in a Sentence

Noun

A flood inundated the whole area. the devastating flood of 1936 The water has risen to flood level. We've received a flood of mail. a flood of phone calls Seeing her again brought back a flood of memories.

Verb

Heavy rains flooded the valley. The rivers are close to flooding. The valley flooded after the heavy rains. The plain floods every spring. The room was flooded with light. The company plans to flood the market with this product. The office has been flooded with phone calls. The phone calls have been flooding in. Refugees flooded into the camp. Light flooded into the room.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

For this was a society founded on exclusivity, with floods of tears from those who didn’t receive an invitation to Mrs. Astor’s annual ball and replete with snubs that had to be swallowed. — Anne De Courcy, WSJ, "‘What Would Mrs. Astor Do?’ Review: The Arbitress of the Gilded Age," 29 Nov. 2018 The shelter behind the Santa Catarina church houses about 120 people and opened a month ago in order to help cope with the flood of tens of thousands of Venezuelans into Brazil. — Washington Post, "Pence pledges support to Venezuelans until democracy returns," 28 June 2018 Over the past five years, Flash has helped hundreds of artists showcase their graffiti skills and provided Logan Square with a flood of public artwork. — Leor Galil, Chicago Reader, "Arts / Hip-Hop / Visual Art Is Logan Square's graffiti permission wall in danger?," 14 June 2018 Casket pillows were stained with flood and other fluids were laying in the hallway. — Detroit Free Press Staff, Detroit Free Press, "Owner of Michigan funeral home with rotting bodies faces felony counts," 11 June 2018 When Ellicott City was struck with a deadly flood on July 30, 2016, the Shakespeare company had just closed its summer season. — Janene Holzberg, Howard County Times, "Shakespeare coming to the aid of Ellicott City in pair of benefit performances," 8 June 2018 With a flood of applications arriving, three Republican gubernatorial candidates did not receive their public financing Wednesday and will have to wait at least another week for their campaign money. — Christopher Keating, courant.com, "Republican Gubernatorial Candidates' Public Financing Delayed," 6 June 2018 Bringing back the waterbed comes with a flood of memories for Koenig, whose brother began Waterbed City in 1971 out of Fort Lauderdale. — Marcia Heroux Pounds, Sun-Sentinel.com, "City Furniture bringing waterbeds back," 4 June 2018 Blomquist, represented by Milwaukee attorney Robert A. Levine, also hit the plaintiffs with a flood of interrogatories and requests for documents. — Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Mequon executive counters sex-tape privacy suit with his own claim of secret recordings," 29 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The main coastal road, the artery for rescue traffic, was clogged by flooding as police officers guided vehicles one by one. — I Made Sentana, WSJ, "Rain Slows Search for Tsunami Dead, as Indonesia Recalls 2004 Disaster," 26 Dec. 2018 Inland, the grid is still threatened by flooding but from more intense rainstorms. — Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, "US tries to bury report on climate change’s dire health, economic impacts," 26 Nov. 2018 The group was trapped by flooding after entering the complex on June 23, sparking a huge search and rescue operation led by the Thai military. — Fox News, "Thailand cave rescue: Electronic location gear, breathing masks could help save soccer team," 2 Oct. 2018 Using more advanced machine learning, the team taught computers to identify other types of structures; comprehensive building maps help rescue workers assess damage and prioritize rescue efforts, especially when buildings are obscured by flooding. — Emily Strasser, Curbed, "A secret city opens up," 8 Aug. 2018 The box has been damaged by flooding at least three times. — Kaila Contreras, Houston Chronicle, "Humble approves Safe Clear towing program at Thursday’s council meeting," 13 July 2018 Remember that last year, at least 80 percent of homeowners in the eight Texas counties hit hardest by flooding from Hurricane Harvey had no flood insurance because many weren’t required to buy it. — Ron Hurtibise, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Do you have enough homeowner insurance? Here's how to find out," 13 July 2018 Looking out to 2050, annual losses from flooding related to climate change and sea-level rise could increase to more than $60 billion a year. — Richard Florida, WIRED, "Climate Change Will Force the Poor From Their Homes," 13 July 2018 The Wild Boars youth soccer team, all between 11 to 16 years old, had taken a field trip to the caves on June 23 and were trapped about two miles deep by flooding. — J. Weston Phippen, Outside Online, "The Daring Rescue that Saved the Thai Soccer Team," 10 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'flood.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.