overflow

1 of 2

verb

over·​flow ˌō-vər-ˈflō How to pronounce overflow (audio)
overflowed; overflowing; overflows

transitive verb

1
: to cover with or as if with water : inundate
2
: to flow over the brim of
3
: to cause to overflow

intransitive verb

1
: to flow over bounds
2
: to fill a space to capacity and spread beyond its limits
the crowd overflowed into the street

overflow

2 of 2

noun

over·​flow ˈō-vər-ˌflō How to pronounce overflow (audio)
1
: a flowing over : inundation
2
: something that flows over : surplus
3
: an outlet or receptacle for surplus liquid

Examples of overflow in a Sentence

Verb The river overflowed its banks. The creek overflows every spring. The water in the tub overflowed. Books and papers overflowed his desk. The paragraph overflowed the page. Noun a great overflow of water from the heavy rains swept mud and silt down onto the highway an overflow of help actually made the job more complicated
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
And there, navigating among bags overflowing with gear and laundry carts and the crushing silence, was Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025 The system captures and diverts roughly 95% of the sewage overflows in the city, or about five billion gallons a year. Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
But as water became scarce in the American Southwest, the allocation to Imperial Valley farmers was reduced, overflow stopped, and the Salton Sea started drying up. Big Think, 17 Oct. 2025 Indianapolis offers winter shelter as homelessness rises The city has started offering emergency winter shelter in recent years as Indy's largest shelter provider, Wheeler Mission, scales back its overflow capacity amid rising homelessness. Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 15 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for overflow

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1568, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of overflow was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Overflow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overflow. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

overflow

1 of 2 verb
over·​flow ˌō-vər-ˈflō How to pronounce overflow (audio)
1
: to cover with or as if with water : inundate
2
: to flow over the brim or top of
the river overflowed its banks
3
: to flow over bounds
the creek overflows every spring
4
: to fill a space up and spread beyond its limits
the paragraph overflowed the page

overflow

2 of 2 noun
over·​flow ˈō-vər-ˌflō How to pronounce overflow (audio)
1
: a flowing over : flood
2
: something that flows over : surplus
3
: an outlet or container for liquid that overflows

Medical Definition

overflow

noun
over·​flow ˈō-vər-ˌflō How to pronounce overflow (audio)
: an excessive flow or amount

More from Merriam-Webster on overflow

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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