flooding

verb

present participle of flood
as in engulfing
to cover with a flood the lowlands were completely flooded angry calls flooded the radio station

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 flooding Digg shut down its Reddit competitor in March, citing an inability to control the volume of bots flooding the site. — Gabriel Alin Zainescu, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 Heavy rains earlier this week swamped other areas of New York as well as New Jersey and Pennsylvania, flooding streets and leading to water rescues. — ABC News, 30 July 2026 Security camera footage shared by Something Fishy Pets on Facebook shows the massive tank suddenly bursting and flooding a large part of the facility as a worker runs to help. — Hannah Hudnall, USA Today, 30 July 2026 Some Southern California communities could be at risk of flooding in the coming days due to Hurricane Genevieve. — Lesley Marin, CBS News, 30 July 2026 At the moment, the main source of money that is flooding into psychedelic research and treatment is coming from the private sector, including many of the wealthiest people in the world. — Literary Hub, 29 July 2026 In one image, a young sitter with the Arabic word for ‘justice’ painted on her cheek gazes sensuously into the camera, while flooding the frame with wafts of smoke. — Michael-Oliver Harding, CNN Money, 28 July 2026 The break left a giant sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and sent about 17 million gallons of water into surrounding neighborhoods, shuttering businesses, and flooding homes and underground parking. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026 In 2023, farmers were badly hit after flooding along the Connecticut River. — Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 25 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flooding
  1. engulfing
  2. drowning
  3. overwhelming
  4. submerging
  5. inundating
Verb
  • Home surveillance video shared with Fox News Digital shows flames engulfing the backyard as the fire spread.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026
  • By the time crews arrived at the scene, somewhere between 3 and 4 feet of water and mud had accumulated in the theater, engulfing all of the ground floor seats and rising to the height of the elevated stage.
    — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2026
Definition of engulfing
Verb
  • Since Trigg's death, Emilie Kiser has used her platform to advocate for drowning prevention.
    — Melina Khan, USA Today, 29 July 2026
  • Tony tries drowning his sorrows at the bar of the Flagship, a no-frills seafood eatery run by a man identified only as Chef (Antonio Banderas).
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 29 July 2026
Definition of drowning
Verb
  • Could Cape Verde turn its sudden global fame into tourism that benefits the islands without overwhelming the places already under pressure?
    — Emese Maczko, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • In a single day, some 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Spain’s tiny Ceuta enclave, overwhelming the city, leaving thousands homeless and at least 41 people dead.
    — Sergio Rodrigo Ruíz, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026
Definition of overwhelming
Verb
  • This new hybrid approach uses a dual-action mechanism to cool the battery pack without fully submerging it.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 July 2026
  • While a viral video on TikTok from 2021 suggested that submerging avocados in water keeps them fresher, longer, the FDA cautions against this method.
    — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 12 July 2026
Definition of submerging
Verb
  • Like many other large cities, much of Los Angeles’ vast network of water mains and trunk lines were installed at the turn of the 20th century and are at risk of breaking, disrupting service and potentially inundating communities with water.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026
  • Lettuce is causing explosive diarrhea, wildfire smoke is inundating city skies and parts of the country are scorching under brutal hot temperatures.
    — Melina Khan, USA Today, 17 July 2026
Definition of inundating

Browse Nearby Words

floodgates
flooding
floodlight
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flooding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flooding. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on flooding

Nglish: Translation of flooding for Spanish Speakers

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