flood

play

noun \ ˈfləd \

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

Since the start of the season, devastating floods across South Asia have killed at least 1,000 people and affected close to 40 million across northern India, southern Nepal and northern Bangladesh.

— Washington Post, "Building collapses in India, killing at least 12; 25 trapped," 31 Aug. 2017
For Harry Duffey, a 48-year-old computer security specialist, this was flood No. 3 in as many years.

— juan a. lozano, The Seattle Times, "Houston sees glimmer of hope after Harvey but threats loom," 30 Aug. 2017
Hurricane Harvey could cause $70 billion to $90 billion in economic losses from wind, storm surge and flood damage, most of it in the Houston metropolitan area, according to risk-modeling company RMS.

— katherine chiglinsky, Bloomberg.com, "Harvey Damages Could Cost Up to $90 Billion," 30 Aug. 2017
Ivan produced flood waters that inundated areas along Alabama 59, approaching the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo.

— john sharp, AL.com, "Hurricane worries? Not Gulf Shores as it moves forward with beachfront project," 30 Aug. 2017
Trump has yet to make a statement about the 30 people who lost their lives in the devastating flood.

— veronica hilbring, Essence.com, "Tone Deaf: Here's Everything Trump Has Said About Hurricane Harvey," 30 Aug. 2017
The Rangers and Houston Astros’ series this week was moved from Minute Maid Park to Tropicana Field because of devastating floods in the Houston area.

— stefan stevenson, star-telegram, "Rangers donating portion of ticket sales, concessions to storm relief," 30 Aug. 2017
Rowe said the plant initially used generators to power the refrigeration system, but when those failed after the flood, the chemicals were moved to diesel-powered refrigerators.

— adam k. raymond, Daily Intelligencer, "CEO of Flooded Texas Chemical Plant: There’s ‘No Way to Prevent’ Explosion," 30 Aug. 2017
This weekend, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew over the devastation in Bihar, where more than 400 people are believed to have died in floods in recent weeks.

— jeffrey gettleman, New York Times, "More Than 1,000 Died in South Asia Floods This Summer," 29 Aug. 2017

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

Synonyms

alluvion, bath, cataclysm, cataract, deluge, flood tide, inundation, Niagara, overflow, spate, torrent

Antonyms

drought (also drouth)

Related Words

current, river, stream, tide; cloudburst, discharge, flush, gush, outflow, outpouring; flux, inflow, influx; engulfment, washout; avalanche, blizzard; cascade, waterfall; excess, glut, overabundance, overage, overkill, overmuch, oversupply, superabundance, superfluity, surfeit, surplus

Near Antonyms

dribble, drip, trickle

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

A few years ago, a section of my neighborhood in La Grange flooded after torrential rains.

— lynn petrak, chicagotribune.com, "Petrak: Helping La Grange, Texas recover from Hurricane Harvey floods," 30 Aug. 2017
These areas can flood quickly and with little warning.

— carol robinson, AL.com, "Birmingham police investigate 2 morning shootings," 30 Aug. 2017
Nearly 50,000 homes were flooded, as were 250 of the city’s 350 churches.

— andrew wolfson, The Courier-Journal, "There's hope for Houston in the story of Louisville's Great Flood of 1937," 28 Aug. 2017
Hurricane Harvey made landfall Friday in southeast Texas near Corpus Christi with winds reaching 130 mph and continued over the weekend as a storm that continues to dump flooding rain across the region.

— kelly mcbride, Cincinnati.com, "Matthew 25: Ministries mobilizes help after Harvey," 28 Aug. 2017
The city still faces flooding over the next few days.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "Hurricane Harvey Is Now A Tropical Storm," 26 Aug. 2017
Flooding could persist for days, forcing evacuations across the region.

— david a. graham, The Atlantic, "Is Texas Ready for Hurricane Harvey?," 24 Aug. 2017
Case in point: When @maccosmetics posted a side profile shot of Ugandan model Aamito Lagum’s lips painted in purple last year, the comments section was flooded with racist remarks.

— tina ferraro, Teen Vogue, "What You Should Realize About Society’s Aspiration for Big Lips," 24 Aug. 2017
Thousands of Trump supporters and protesters are expected to flood downtown Phoenix ahead of Trump's 7 p.m. rally.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Trump Today, Trump Tomorrow," 21 Aug. 2017

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

Related Words

avalanche, smother; overcome, overrun; flow, flush, gush, pour, sluice, spout, spurt, stream; douse (also dowse), drench, soak, wet

Near Antonyms

dehydrate, dry, parch

FLOOD Defined for English Language Learners

flood

play

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

play

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

play

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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Origin and Etymology of flood

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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

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Phrases Related to FLOOD

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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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