spate

noun

ˈspāt 

1

a

: a large number or amount

a spate of books

b

: a sudden or strong outburst : rush

a spate of anger

2

: freshet, flood

Synonyms of spate

• flood
• torrent

Examples of spate in a Sentence

A spate of books on the subject have come out recently.

There was a spate of corporate mergers in the 1980s.

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s an increasingly pressing question in light of the spate of rogue AI incidents that have hit OpenAI and Anthropic this summer. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026

To shape that strategy, Genesco brought on a spate of new leaders. — Jennie Bell, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026

The era also spawned a spate of straight-to-video series like Girls Gone Wild and The Best of Backyard Wrestling, advertised heavily on the outer fringes of cable and late night TV. — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2026

The office also is the target of federal subpoena by a grand jury that was issued demanding a broad spate of documents about spending while Sierra was treasurer, use of P-cards and the municipal employees retirement fund. — Helen I. Bennett, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing spate

• in spate

Rhymes for spate

• ate
• bait
• bate
• cate
• crate
• date
• eight
• fait
• fate
• fete
• frate
• freight

Kids Definition

spate

noun

ˈspāt 

: a sudden flood or rush