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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Synonyms & Antonyms for flood

Synonyms: Noun

Synonyms: Verb

Antonyms: Noun

drought
(also drouth)

Antonyms: Verb

drain

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 But when the glaciers melted, the sea level rose to flood and completely cover what had been the lower Susquehanna River valley. — Washington Post, 4 June 2021 No authoritative estimates of the likely deficits are available yet, but precision is less important than the assurance that the flow of red ink, already worrisome, will only expand to a flood. — Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 2 June 2021 Six days later, Simmons used his clothing to clog the toilet in his cell, causing the room to flood, jail officials reported. — BostonGlobe.com, 29 May 2021 That was due, in part, to a flood of last-minute voting, and also to a high number of ballots that had been unusually marked. — Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 11 May 2021 Three years ago, the online service went offline due, in part, to a flood of people who had stalled on filing for an exemption, causing all sorts of headaches. — Chris Morris, Fortune, 10 May 2021 The Employment Department has had to put nearly all its resources toward responding to a flood of new unemployment claims resulting from the pandemic. — oregonlive, 6 May 2021 Since the pandemic started, city leaders said, the flow of people moving to Austin has turned to a flood. — CBS News, 3 May 2021 Investment bankers have also been incredibly busy thanks to a flood of mergers and stock and bond sales, lining up a record quarter for fees. — Julia Horowitz, CNN, 15 Apr. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb And as new programs flood onto the Netflix platform each successive month, the Top 25 rankings continue to change and expand. — Travis Bean, Forbes, 29 May 2021 Beavers are often considered a nuisance by landowners, as their dams disrupt water flow and can flood areas, and the animals particularly prefer felling alder, aspen, and apple trees. — Lucy Sherriff, oregonlive, 1 May 2021 As newcomers flood the app, the quality of debate has dropped. — The Economist, 10 Apr. 2021 More than 20,000 troops are expected to be flood the city ahead of the inauguration. — Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2021 Because a boat will flood until the water inside the hull levels with the water outside of it, Titanic could float as long as the weight of the inflowing water did not drop the bow more than 50 feet. — Cody Cassidy, Wired, 30 Oct. 2020 The west side of the Gallery Building, which currently houses AMC Theaters, will be demolished and replaced with an all-glass wall to flood natural light into the space. — Randy Tucker, The Enquirer, 2 Sep. 2020 Pharmaceutical companies began to flood the system with more doses, and a third vaccine gained emergency-use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration. — Ben Gittleson, ABC News, 26 Apr. 2021 Amid Michigan’s worst-in-the-nation coronavirus surge, scientists and public health officials are urging the Biden administration to flood the state with additional vaccine doses. — Lev Facher, STAT, 8 Apr. 2021

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.