flood 1 of 2

noun

ˈfləd How to pronounce flood (audio)
Definition of floodnext
as in torrent
a great flow of water or of something that overwhelms a flood nearly wiped out the town a flood of messages on my computer

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

flood

2 of 2

verb

as in to engulf
to cover with a flood the lowlands were completely flooded angry calls flooded the radio station

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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 flood
Noun
The state is pre-positioning more than 4 million sandbags, more than 50,000 feet of portable flood barriers and 400,000 tons of rock to repair levees. — Adrian Florido, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026 The story in question has been hit with a flood of accusations of being AI generated, which the author has so far denied. — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 11 Oct. 2026
Verb
Open storage and practical furniture make surprisingly efficient use of the footprint, while floor-to-ceiling windows flood the space with California sunshine. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026 When patent protections for Ozempic and Wegovy expired in India earlier this year, generic manufacturers flooded the market at prices less than $14 a month. — Dr. Bowman Heiden, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for flood
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flood
  1. torrent
  2. engulf
  3. overwhelm
  4. drown
  5. submerge
  6. deluge
Noun
  • Videos posted on social media showed a torrent of water rushing through a street near the Las Vegas Strip, with a Ferris wheel and casinos in the background.
    — JAIMIE DING, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The torrent of money pouring out of the government, the central bank, and the private sector will make the AI bubble much bigger than any of its predecessors.
    — RUCHIR SHARMA, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of torrent
Verb
  • The protest movement has added to a sense of uncertainty and crisis engulfing France six months ahead of a presidential election that could usher in the first far-right government since World War II, led by Le Pen’s National Rally.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026
  • These poignant and revealing journals cover the years after the financial disaster that engulfed Scott.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of engulf
Verb
  • Bettany is by turns hilariously perplexed, in the universal manner of parents engaging with teens everywhere, and achingly tender, in the more unusual way of a robot letting himself be overwhelmed by feeling for the first time.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Clashes last week between armed groups from rival communities in the central part of South Sudan left scores of people dead and overwhelmed a hospital with wounded people, officials said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of overwhelm
Verb
  • Family members believe Jilani drowned after becoming trapped in powerful water currents.
    — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Threats also remain from strong rip currents and large waves, which increase the risk of ocean drowning and could threaten to capsize small boats near shore.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of drown
Verb
  • After submerging himself, Jay gets entangled in the tentacles of a giant squid, and that’s when the whale, who feeds on squid, pulls both Jay and the squid into his oversize gaping mouth.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Halfway through, Brill pulls out a machine that fills the stage with foam, submerging the actors in a cumulus of bubbles.
    — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of submerge
Verb
  • Two of them — in 1982-83 and 1997-98 — deluged downtown Los Angeles with more than 30 inches of rain, more than double the area’s average annual rainfall.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Parts of the Desert Southwest could be deluged Wednesday as waves of robust monsoonal moisture lift into the region.
    — Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of deluge

Phrases Containing flood

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flogs
flood
flooded
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Cite this Entry

“Flood.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flood. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on flood

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about flood

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