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 floating schools were a response to a longstanding local problem of seasonal floods and impassable, muddy roads that kept children from reaching conventional schools. — Ali Asif Shawon, NPR, 5 Sep. 2026 About 900 of those missing are hydropower workers, who were working at facilities dotted along the Trishuli River when a huge chunk of ice sheared off a melting glacier, triggering a landslide and floods which buried entire communities in minutes. — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026
Verb
Foulkes, a former executive at CVS Health, has outraised the incumbent and flooded the airwaves with campaign ads. — ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026 Wildfire burn scars increase the chances for flash-flooding events. — Hali Smith, Idaho Statesman, 4 Sep. 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
  • In many cases, bodies have been washed far downstream and rendered unrecognizable, while others still missing are feared to have been buried in the torrent of thick mud.
    — Andrew Jones, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The more this approach has led to the destruction of Palestinian houses, cars, and mosques and the killing of Palestinians, the greater the torrent of criticism from foreign governments.
    — Amos Harel, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of torrent
Verb
  • Footage from that border area captured Wednesday showed a furious wave of material engulfing a multistory border facility known as the Gyirong Port Immigration Office.
    — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Senators, governors, commissioners, judges, lawyers, regents and even the president of the United States have taken cracks at fixing the problems that engulf college sports.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of engulf
Verb
  • But the speed and scale of investment could also overwhelm the institutions needed to manage it.
    — Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Ukraine possesses substantial counter-drone equipment, but the sheer volume of FPVs has the potential to overwhelm kinetic defenses.
    — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of overwhelm
Verb
  • After a 2-year-old drowned in a backyard swimming pool in July 2025, Fatehi considered filing felony murder charges against his mother, who had passed out from drinking at the time of the accident.
    — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Estimates of the death toll range from roughly 1 million to 4 million, with later deaths attributed to famine and disease as well as drowning.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of drown
Verb
  • They were found fatally stabbed and submerged in a bathtub full of water at a family shelter in the Bronx in November 2022, according to the outlets.
    — Melina Khan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The system uses an immersion-cooling design in which every battery cell is submerged in a dielectric coolant.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of submerge
Verb
  • In mid-August, Hurricane Lala deluged eastern Hawaii’s Big Island with feet of rain, triggering severe flooding.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
  • An aerial view shows houses lying deluged in sludge after flash floods at Devighat, Bidur Municipality in Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 27, 2026.
    — Sam Meredith,Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of deluge

Phrases Containing flood

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flood
flooded
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Cite this Entry

“Flood.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flood. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on flood

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about flood

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