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 The $270 million project includes 22 miles of levees and flood walls, as well as a hiking trail, with final completion expected in 2024. — Mike Nolan, chicagotribune.com, 27 Aug. 2021 Counties with homes facing high drought risk saw population growth of 3.5%, fire risk counties grew by 3%, flood 1.9%, and storm 0.4% over the last five years. — Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, 25 Aug. 2021 Henri’s speed fell to a crawl Monday, while the storm is expected to dissipate in the next two days, but parts of New England remain under flood watch. — Nelly Ontiveros, orlandosentinel.com, 23 Aug. 2021 Even the recent rise in cases caused by the delta variant has not stopped Gani from receiving a flood of emails, texts, calls and StreetEasy messages. — NBC News, 23 Aug. 2021 In one garage stairwell, a bright red stripe on a blue tile wall 10 feet below the street indicates the high water mark reached by the worst flood on record, which occurred in 1937. — Steven Litt, cleveland, 22 Aug. 2021 Henri became a hurricane late Saturday morning, and the New Jersey coast across from Manhattan was under a tropical storm warning and a flood watch. — BostonGlobe.com, 21 Aug. 2021 The reservoir, created by the completion of Mason Dam in 1968 and designed to store water for irrigation and flood control, has been depleted by drought to its lowest level since late October 1988. — oregonlive, 20 Aug. 2021 Every day, there are stories from around the world about flood or fire—this one is about extensive flooding in Douala, the commercial capital of Cameroon. — Bill Mckibben, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Fans are expected to flood Comerica Park for the upcoming homestand against Cleveland (Friday-Sunday) and the Los Angeles Angels (Tuesday-Thursday) in hopes of watching No. 500 in person. — Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 12 Aug. 2021 At full capacity, Lake Powell stores twenty-four million acre-feet of water, enough to flood the entire state of Massachusetts hip-deep. — Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2021 The five-story residence was designed with a bowed front on three levels, allowing for light to flood the home from not only the west, but also the south and north. — Lucia Tonelli, Town & Country, 6 Aug. 2021 Then an active-duty Marine Corps officer, Christopher Warnagiris, keeps that door open for the mob to flood in. — New York Times, 31 July 2021 Windows overlooking the plaza and its fountains allow natural light to flood the space. — Dallas News, 12 July 2021 The National Weather Service says onshore flow will continue to flood inland Tuesday helping to bring daytime high temps down into the 90s. — oregonlive, 29 June 2021 Florida is moving to permanently close the leaky Piney Point wastewater reservoir that poured millions of gallons of water into Tampa Bay while threatening to burst open and flood nearby homes and businesses, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday. — Curt Anderson, Star Tribune, 13 Apr. 2021 Actual events, such as the white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville, flood the book, but Trump is never mentioned by name. — The New Yorker, 2 Aug. 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.