1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

deluge 1 of 2

noun

ˈdel-ˌyüj How to pronounce deluge (audio)
Definition of delugenext
1
as in flood
a great flow of water or of something that overwhelms a deluge of thanks and appreciation for the returning troops

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rain
a steady falling of water from the sky in significant quantity the exiting moviegoers were caught in the deluge without umbrellas

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

deluge

2 of 2

verb

as in to flood
to cover with a flood deluged with requests for help

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 deluge
Noun
The hurricane center warned that Polo’s deluge could cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides, in particular in Guerrero. — Megan Janetsky, Chicago Tribune, 21 Sep. 2026 Young professionals send out thousands of applications with no luck, while hiring managers wade through a deluge of candidates for a single job posting. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026
Verb
Disaster can strike in regions unaccustomed to their fury, as North Carolinians in the western end of the state painfully learned in 2024 as Hurricane Helene deluged the region. — Jamie Gold, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 The water main break also flooded streets in the area, deluging parked cars. — Melina Khan, USA Today, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for deluge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deluge
  1. flood
  2. rain
  3. engulf
  4. torrent
  5. storm
Noun
  • The share price decline contrasts with the flood of capital pouring into humanoid robotics companies over the last 12 months or so.
    — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • By Monday morning, waves began to crash and flood coastal areas.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of flood
Noun
  • Forecasters said Tropical Storm Nolo might grow into a major hurricane and could drop 20 inches of rain on the Big Island, with even higher amounts possible through Saturday.
    — MEGAN JANETSKY, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Given early reads from retailers and brands, Telsey said styles for fall include ankle, heeled from kitten to high, moto, slouchy, rain and western, among other styles.
    — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of rain
Verb
  • Video released Wednesday morning captured the moments when a Kansas City Police Department detective and a Clay County Sheriff’s deputy rescued a man from a pickup truck that was engulfed in flames.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
  • His moves have led to hopes of eventual stability in a country that was wracked by civil war and the Islamic State insurgency that engulfed northeast and western Iraq for years.
    — Matthew Lee, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of engulf
Noun
  • Such terrain is already conducive to flash flooding, sudden torrents that can sweep down canyons and other low-lying areas with little warning.
    — Megan Janetsky, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision unleashed unlimited torrents of money into political campaigns, elections are now largely financed by big money donors and super PACs.
    — Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of torrent
Noun
  • Meanwhile, Hurricane Nolo could still bring torrential rain to parts of Hawaii even as the storm edged away from the state.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
  • It’s been a busy season for Pacific storms Storm activity in the Pacific has been above average during what is already the peak of hurricane season, according to National Weather Service lead forecaster Bob Oravec.
    — Megan Janetsky, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of storm

Browse Nearby Words

deluding
deluge
deluged
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Deluge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deluge. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of heterodox

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All