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

Researchers also linked the water crisis to a flood of Legionnaires’ disease cases. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Doc charged with involuntary manslaughter in Flint crisis wins top health award," 12 Oct. 2018 Ever since Memphians and others began returning downtown—first a trickle, and now a flood—the city has densified. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Memphis downtown boom fueled by riverfront city’s rich history," 25 Sep. 2018 Even though the judges didn't give her feedback this time, her act was met with a flood of praise online. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "'America's Got Talent' Fans Are Going Nuts Over Courtney Hadwin's Finale Performance," 20 Sep. 2018 That didn’t stop a flood of trailers though, including new footage of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Project Judge, a new game from the Yakuza devs. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: Katamari Damacy finally rolls onto PCs, Tencent's snowboarding battle royale," 14 Sep. 2018 Though a flood of royal fans placed bets on the names Arthur and Albert, the couple ultimately went with Louis as the first name. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Prince Louis: Everything You Need to Know About Prince William and Kate Middleton's Third Child," 9 July 2018 But with reefs in danger around the world, much of this valuable flood protection could be lost. — Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, "Coral reefs save billions of dollars worldwide by preventing floods," 12 June 2018 The money would be used to restore parks in lower-income communities, protecting wildlife habitats and rivers or coastal areas, and improving flood protection and groundwater systems. — Michael Livingston, latimes.com, "Californians appear poised to reject measure controlling how climate change funds are spent," 6 June 2018 The property contains a wooded lot, two ponds that serve as flood protection and a wildflower garden. — Sheryl Devore, chicagotribune.com, "Restored former academy, solar home open for annual tour in Libertyville," 29 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

South of Baton Rouge, the Army Corps determined, there was no more significant inflow that would affect the river’s potential to flood. — Nate Berg, Curbed, "Can engineering save Louisiana’s coastline?," 7 Nov. 2018 One type of ketone flooding the brain is beta-hydroxybutyrate, or BHB. — Mark Barna, Discover Magazine, "Not So Fast," 24 Sep. 2018 The thermal spring water and glycerin, a humectant that attracts water, in the formula work to instantly flood your skin with hydration, while the oil creates an impermeable barrier to lock it in. — Rachel Jacoby Zoldan, Glamour, "The No-Frills Face Cream That Tackles the Toughest Dry Spots," 27 Aug. 2018 Once the bruised, blood-red trail of shock and physical trauma had receded, the deep, salty, swirling waters of violation and betrayal flooded. — Polo Tate, Marie Claire, "Sexual Assault in the Military: One Woman's True Story," 8 Aug. 2018 And while others were still rushing to find a new buyer as the clock ticked down on their contracts, the Coombs decided to start selling their cows before the market got flooded. — Kate Talerico, The Courier-Journal, "As Dean Milk contract ends, some farmers pick up a last-minute hope," 29 June 2018 Offers of pro-bono legal assistance for the families flooded into Texas. — Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, "The Trump Administration’s Family Values," 22 June 2018 Last year, an Atlanta restaurant was forced to apologize for promoting a Packers pep rally before the Falcons-Packers conference championship game after upset fans flooded their social media comments and wrote lots of negative Yelp reviews. — Alysha Tsuji, For The Win, "Steph Curry sweetly shows support for Ayesha’s restaurant after bad Yelp reviews," 21 June 2018 Regulators unfamiliar with the approach are sometimes skeptical, and some landowners and government agencies are loath to aid a rodent infamous for felling valuable trees, flooding property, and clogging road culverts. — Ben Goldfarb, Science | AAAS, "Beaver dams without beavers? Artificial logjams are a popular but controversial restoration tool," 7 June 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.