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

Unreleased | Getty Images A spate of bomb threats against passenger flights has forced diversions, emergency landings and military escorts across European airspace this week, stoking fear among passengers and heaping pressure on airlines. — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 7 Nov. 2026

His departure comes as the investigation has shown signs of faltering amid a spate of staff turnovers and delays. — Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2026

The monster romance is as old as Pasiphaë tricking the white bull into bedding her, but a spate of recent offerings, across film and literature, especially, have come to form something less like a genre and more like a drug. — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2026

The redactions have also renewed calls for greater transparency and independent oversight of frontier AI labs, which grew to new heights earlier this year following a spate of incidents involving rogue AI agents. — Robert Hart, The Verge, 7 Nov. 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