1
as in landslide
a large mass especially of snow, ice, dirt, or rocks descending from a high place
Much of the mountainside was covered by the avalanche.
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2
as in influx
a sudden large amount of something that overwhelms
After the disaster, the town received an avalanche of letters and donations from supporters and well-wishers.
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as in to fall
to fall down in a large mass
The snow avalanched down the mountainside.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of avalanche
Alexis Coe, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
The Northwest Avalanche Center ranks avalanche risk on a scale of 1, the lowest, to 5, the highest risk.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 17 Mar. 2026
John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Apr. 2022
That a bunch of boys will insincerely avalanche into girls sports in order to gain some competitive advantage, to slake some hearty thirst for winning?
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for avalanche
Noun
An avalanche of primary sources has been digitized.
—Alexis Coe, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
The Northwest Avalanche Center ranks avalanche risk on a scale of 1, the lowest, to 5, the highest risk.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 17 Mar. 2026
Verb
The hillsides along Summit Lake will avalanche.
—John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Apr. 2022
That a bunch of boys will insincerely avalanche into girls sports in order to gain some competitive advantage, to slake some hearty thirst for winning?
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Feb. 2022
See All Example Sentences for avalanche
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avalanche
Noun
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Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
22 Mar. 2026
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Heavy rain and strong winds from last weekend’s storm set off dangerous flooding, landslides, sinkholes and knocked out power to thousands across the state.—
Ritu Prasad,
CNN Money,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Tearing society’s fabric The influx of 1 million displaced people has strained relations locally with the communities that welcomed their compatriots.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
21 Mar. 2026
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Zoo announces stricter rules for visiting Punch Ishikawa City Zoo, a relatively small zoo in Ishikawa, Japan, has spent the past few months ramping up its infrastructure to handle the influx of guests interested in seeing Punch.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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By late Sunday night into Monday midday, a strong cold front clears the region, ending the storms and bringing gusty winds with falling temperatures through the day.—
Andrew Kozak,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
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Outside of Wall Street, stock indexes fell sharply in Europe following their wipeouts on Thursday.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The city initially closed Barton Springs in late February to remove the structure ahead of a major flood event that could damage it and force a longer shutdown.—
Faith Bugenhagen,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Mar. 2026
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Most of the state was under a flood watch, with Haleiwa and Waialua in northern Oahu under a flash flood warning, according to the National Weather Service.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Parking also will be improved, Kinney said, to help manage and reduce overflow.—
Talia McWright,
Twin Cities,
21 Mar. 2026
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The room by the grand main entrance on the parlor level became Hershon’s office, and an overflow of books sealed off the door itself — which had never been used much anyway.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Steer clear of puddles - Driving into puddles or low areas of rainwater can cause vehicles to hydroplane or skid out of control.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Mar. 2026
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Upon the second strike, the car skidded into the center guard rail, flipped over and came to rest upside down.—
Mike Randall,
USA Today,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The latter works with a separate under-slide that holds wet and dry sink basins.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
23 Mar. 2026
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The center now features an eight lane, 50-meter competition pool, three diving boards, two 125-foot slides and a lazy river.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But with no sign of the en masse mathematical onslaught slowing down, a deluge of LLM-written, subtly wrong proofs may soon overwhelm human resources.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
16 Mar. 2026
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Quench them with a copious deluge of water and stir to guarantee complete cooling.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Avalanche.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avalanche. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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