avalanches 1 of 2

noun

plural of avalanche
1
as in landslides
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 influxes
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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avalanches

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of avalanche
as in tumbles
to fall down in a large mass The snow avalanched down the mountainside.

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of avalanches
Noun
Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches. — Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avalanches
  1. landslides
  2. influxes
  3. tumbles
  4. floods
  5. overflows
  6. skids
  7. slides
  8. torrents
Noun
  • Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.
    — CA Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 7 July 2026
  • Costa Rican authorities have issued a nationwide green alert, warning that an intensifying rainy season and a developing Pacific low-pressure system threaten to trigger even more catastrophic landslides.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 15 June 2026
Definition of landslides
Noun
  • But the study also found that huge influxes of money seldom led to a fundamental change in a winner’s mental state.
    — Nancy A. Youssef, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026
  • By July 7, the competition will have shrunk to 16 teams, which is when host cities could see influxes of last-minute foreign arrivals.
    — Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Definition of influxes
Verb
  • The glowing ribbon of the Milky Way tumbles directly through this cosmic triangle before arcing towards the southern horizon, though its diffuse light will be hidden behind a veil of moonlight on the night of the full moon.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 2 July 2026
  • Then the wisdom tumbles like Milk Duds fresh from the concessionaire.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
Definition of tumbles
Noun
  • When heavy rain occurs, there is a potential for flooding, particularly in areas that are low-lying or prone to floods.
    — Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 8 July 2026
  • Last year, cloudbursts, floods and landslides caused significant loss of life and property across India.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
Definition of floods
Noun
  • Weeks after overflows from Atlanta’s sewer tunnels contributed to the deaths of thousands of fish on the Chattahoochee River, the city’s Department of Watershed Management says its investigating another fish kill on a different river.
    — Drew Kann, AJC.com, 1 July 2026
  • As Connecticut’s climate changes, more frequent and intense storms have lead to more overflows.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 25 June 2026
Definition of overflows
Verb
  • The former is a ring on the bottom of the rock that skids across the ice, and the latter is a band around the sides of the rock that collides with other rocks (ideally knocking an opponent’s rock off the bull’s-eye or nudging your team’s closer to it).
    — Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Cargo plane skids off runway in Hong Kong An Emirates Boeing 747 cargo plane skidded off the runway after arriving at Hong Kong International Airport and landed in the sea, according to airport authority.
    — Clara McMichael, ABC News, 19 Oct. 2025
Definition of skids
Noun
  • Show off white sneakers, comfortable sandals, or cool slides with these pants.
    — Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2026
  • Finally, slides should support the speaker with rich media, and genuine practice, not rigid rehearsal, allows for spontaneity and authenticity, ultimately boosting personal and career visibility.
    — William Arruda, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of slides
Noun
  • Most of the deaths were in Hengzhou, where the partial collapse of a reservoir dam sent torrents of water into the city and claimed 26 lives, said Ding Wei, the vice mayor of Nanning city, which has jurisdiction over the area.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026
  • One significant problem, however, is that red dwarfs spit out harmful torrents of radiation in fierce gusts of their stellar winds, which can strip away a planet's atmosphere.
    — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of torrents

Browse Nearby Words

avalanched
avalanches
avalanching
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Cite this Entry

“Avalanches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avalanches. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

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