flood

noun \ ˈfləd \

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

Definition of flood

1 a : 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

See flood defined for English-language learners

See flood defined for kids

Examples of flood in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of flood from the Web

Photos and videos shared by the news outlet show homes standing in murky flood water and mud and debris blocking highways and roads.

— jennifer calfas, Time, "Hundreds Evacuated in Hawaii After 2 Feet of Rain Triggers Flooding and Mudslides," 17 Apr. 2018
When infants cry to be fed and are nursed by a responsive mother, their brains release a flood of endorphins into their nervous systems.

— katherine reynolds lewis, The Cut, "Can Scientists Tell Me If I’m a Good Mom?," 17 Apr. 2018
Now, even with Republicans quitting right and left, and Democratic enthusiasm reaching #Beychella levels, could a flood of GOP-leaning Sinclair coverage in crucial states make a difference between a wave and a ripple this fall?

— jason johnson, The Root, "Here Are the House Races Where Sinclair Broadcast’s Propaganda Could Have the Biggest Impact," 17 Apr. 2018
Shortly following her superlative performance -- which featured cameos from JAY-Z, the surprise reunion of Destiny's Child and the brassy bombast of an unstoppable marching band -- Beyoncé hit Instagram with a flood of photos.

— hilary hughes, Billboard, "Bey's-Eye View: Beyoncé's Coachella Experience Through Her Instagram," 15 Apr. 2018
Officer Rodney Smith New to the Hickman Police Department in Kentucky, Officer Rodney Smith was killed after being swept away by flood waters while on duty.

— madeline farber, Fox News, "Officers killed in the line of duty in 2018," 13 Apr. 2018
Two years ago, the Tommy Tune show didn't go on when flood waters ravaged parts of greater Houston.

— don maines, Houston Chronicle, "Bay Area high schools receive shower of theater honors," 9 Apr. 2018
In many locations, contractors injected a grout material made of concrete to mix with soil adjacent to the interior side of the floodwalls to add strength that would help block flood water from pushing walls over.

— mark schleifstein, NOLA.com, "Corps insists 17th Street Canal levee is safe, even with seepage," 30 Mar. 2018
In this video, watch as drones capture the devastation that flood waters have caused in Louisville, including along Interstate 64 near the KFC Yum Center and Waterfront Park.

— taylor m. riley, The Courier-Journal, "Drone footage captures scope of damage caused by Louisville's worst flood since 1997," 28 Feb. 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.

Origin and Etymology of flood

Middle English, from Old English flōd; akin to Old High German fluot flood, Old English flōwan to flow

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

flood Synonyms

Other Bible Terms

antediluvian, apocalyptic, apocrypha, behemoth

flood

verb

Definition of flood

transitive verb

1 : to cover with a flood : inundate

2 a : 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

—

flooder

noun

See flood defined for English-language learners

Examples of flood in a Sentence

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 of flood from the Web

Its expected to remain over state’s Gulf Coast for a while dropping about a years worth of rain in a week threats of flooding extending into neighbouring Louisiana.

— james osborne, Houston Chronicle, "Flood of EPA waivers give refiners way around ethanol mandate," 5 Apr. 2018
This aircraft is busy scrambling other enemy radar installations by flooding the skies with emissions that share the radar's frequency.

— joe pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "F-35 Teams Up With Drone Wingmen in New Air Force Video," 26 Mar. 2018
In 1998, flooding along Turkey Creek contributed to one of the worst floods in Kansas City's history, resulting in 11 deaths and more than $50 million in damages.

— aaron randle, kansascity, "What solved Southwest Boulevard's flooding issue? A nearly complete, $156 million fix | The Kansas City Star," 26 Mar. 2018
The administration has accused China of flooding the world market with cheap steel, which can make its way to the United States after landing in another country.

— jim tankersley, New York Times, "Trump’s Tariffs Keep Allies, Markets and Industry Guessing," 24 Mar. 2018
Some 890,000 families sought federal disaster aid, most often from flooding in the Houston area—in large part because many homes were built on flood plains.

— National Geographic, "From Not Enough to Too Much, the World’s Water Crisis Explained," 22 Mar. 2018
Defenbaugh praised federal law enforcement agencies for flooding the Austin area with hundreds of agents, but said all those personnel will need to be closely managed to ensure key tips don't slip through the cracks.

— author: meagan flynn, mark berman, Anchorage Daily News, "Package believed bound for Austin explodes at Texas FedEx facility," 20 Mar. 2018
Defenbaugh praised federal law enforcement agencies for flooding the Austin area with hundreds of agents, but said all those personnel will need to be closely managed to ensure key tips don't slip through the cracks.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "Package believed to be bound for Austin explodes at Texas FedEx facility, police say," 20 Mar. 2018
Soil sampled two days after the storm around Brickell showed patterns that indicated surge could be blamed for flooding a block or two from the bay, but further inland was caused by heavy rain unable to drain into the bay.

— jenny staletovich, miamiherald, "With 7 billion hits, Hurricane Irma nearly broke the Internet | Miami Herald," 12 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of flood

see ¹flood

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1663

See Words from the same year

flood Synonyms

Synonyms

deluge, drown, engulf, gulf, inundate, overflow, overwhelm, submerge, submerse, swamp;

Antonyms

drain;

Near Antonyms

dehydrate, dry, parch;

Related Words

avalanche, smother;

overcome, overrun;

flow, flush, gush, pour, sluice, spout, spurt, stream;

douse (also dowse), drench, soak, wet;

FLOOD Defined for English Language Learners

flood

noun

Definition of flood for English Language Learners

: a large amount of water covering an area of land that is usually dry
the Flood : a flood described in the Bible as covering the earth in the time of Noah
: a large amount of things that come or happen at the same time

flood

verb

Definition of flood for English Language Learners

: to cover (land) with a flood
: to become filled or covered by a flood
: to fill (something) completely

FLOOD Defined for Kids

flood

noun \ ˈfləd \

Definition of flood for Students

1 : a huge flow of water that rises and spreads over the land

2 : the flowing in of the tide

3 : a very large number or amount

a flood of mail

flood

verb

Definition of flood for Students

flooded; flooding

1 : to cover or become filled with water

2 : to fill as if with a flood

Sunlight flooded her room.

Medical Dictionary

flood

intransitive verb \ ˈfləd \

medical Definition of flood

: to have an excessive menstrual flow or a uterine hemorrhage after childbirth

Learn More about flood

See words that rhyme with flood Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for flood Spanish Central: Translation of flood Nglish: Translation of flood for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of flood for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about flood

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flood

Definition of flood

Examples of flood in a Sentence

Recent Examples of flood from the Web

Origin and Etymology of flood

flood Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Other Bible Terms

flood

Definition of flood

flooder

Examples of flood in a Sentence

Recent Examples of flood from the Web

Origin and Etymology of flood

flood Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases Related to FLOOD

Related Phrases

FLOOD Defined for English Language Learners

flood

Definition of flood for English Language Learners

flood

Definition of flood for English Language Learners

FLOOD Defined for Kids

flood

Definition of flood for Students

flood

Definition of flood for Students

Medical Dictionary

flood

medical Definition of flood

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