over·flow
ˌō-vər-ˈflō 
overflowed; overflowing; overflows
1
: to cover with or as if with water : inundate
2
: to flow over the brim of
3
: to cause to overflow
1
: to flow over bounds
2
: to fill a space to capacity and spread beyond its limits
the crowd overflowed into the street
over·flow
ˈō-vər-ˌflō
1
: a flowing over : inundation
2
: something that flows over : surplus
3
: an outlet or receptacle for surplus liquid
Synonyms
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
Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024
In Muleshoe, about 60 miles to the west and with a population of about 5,000, hackers caused the water system to overflow before it was shut down and taken over manually by officials, city manager Ramon Sanchez told CNN.
—Ken Miller, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
The world is overflowing with climate change news, global warming headlines, and ocean pollution warnings, and many people seek eco-friendly alternatives.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
The city manager for Muleshoe, Ramon Sanchez, reportedly said in a public meeting that the attack on the town’s utility had resulted in one water tank overflowing.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
Waves of refugees are overflowing the country’s borders.
—Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2024
Chappell Roan hadn’t yet hit the stage and the Gobi tent was already overflowing with gays and girlies.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, emergency rooms downstairs overflow with patients, nearly all of whom will be sent back on the streets.
—Alex Barnard, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
The Seine overflows its banks after heavy rainfall in Paris last week.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024
David Bauder, Quartz, 22 Apr. 2024
Is this more of an overflow, entertaining or work space?
—Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
His face has been visible to dozens of reporters watching in an overflow room on a large monitor with a closed-circuit camera trained on the defense table.
—Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Two especially problematic issues for the region are flooding and water quality, especially the presence of bacteria from sewage overflows, and chemicals from fertilizers and pesticides.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 20 Apr. 2024
Lovejoy has been just as much a Black maternal health inspiration as she’s been a fashion inspiration with an overflow of resources to share with mothers in her communities.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 16 Apr. 2024
Still, reporters will be present in the courtroom and an overflow room that will have a live stream of the proceedings.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 15 Apr. 2024
They were not shown on the closed-circuit feed in the media overflow room.
—David Nakamura, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024
This resulted in messy overflow (with dirt) on my floor—I’m thrilled not to have this problem anymore.
—Ali Faccenda, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Apr. 2024
Verb
This week, Amazon’s sale section is overflowing with impressive markdowns on wide-leg pants.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024
In Muleshoe, about 60 miles to the west and with a population of about 5,000, hackers caused the water system to overflow before it was shut down and taken over manually by officials, city manager Ramon Sanchez told CNN.
—Ken Miller, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
The world is overflowing with climate change news, global warming headlines, and ocean pollution warnings, and many people seek eco-friendly alternatives.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
The city manager for Muleshoe, Ramon Sanchez, reportedly said in a public meeting that the attack on the town’s utility had resulted in one water tank overflowing.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
Waves of refugees are overflowing the country’s borders.
—Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2024
Chappell Roan hadn’t yet hit the stage and the Gobi tent was already overflowing with gays and girlies.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, emergency rooms downstairs overflow with patients, nearly all of whom will be sent back on the streets.
—Alex Barnard, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
The Seine overflows its banks after heavy rainfall in Paris last week.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024
Noun
Two reporters covering the trial were expelled on Monday for breaking rules prohibiting recording and photography in the overflow room, where reporters who can't get into the courtroom watch the proceedings on large screens, according to court officials.
—David Bauder, Quartz, 22 Apr. 2024
Is this more of an overflow, entertaining or work space?
—Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
His face has been visible to dozens of reporters watching in an overflow room on a large monitor with a closed-circuit camera trained on the defense table.
—Maggie Haberman, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Two especially problematic issues for the region are flooding and water quality, especially the presence of bacteria from sewage overflows, and chemicals from fertilizers and pesticides.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 20 Apr. 2024
Lovejoy has been just as much a Black maternal health inspiration as she’s been a fashion inspiration with an overflow of resources to share with mothers in her communities.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 16 Apr. 2024
Still, reporters will be present in the courtroom and an overflow room that will have a live stream of the proceedings.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 15 Apr. 2024
They were not shown on the closed-circuit feed in the media overflow room.
—David Nakamura, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024
This resulted in messy overflow (with dirt) on my floor—I’m thrilled not to have this problem anymore.
—Ali Faccenda, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overflow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near overflow
Cite this Entry
“Overflow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overflow. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
overflow
1 of 2 verb
over·flow
ˌō-vər-ˈflō
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
Medical Definition
overflow
noun
over·flow
ˈō-vər-ˌflō
: an excessive flow or amount
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