FLOODS Synonyms: 71 Similar and Opposite Words

floods 1 of 2

noun

plural of flood

as in torrents

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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floods

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of flood

as in engulfs

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

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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 floods

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, 8 July 2026 In southern Guangxi, tropical storm floods have inundated cities, forced about 130,000 evacuations and left families stranded without power or drinking water. — Ken Moritsugu, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026 Heavy rain can lead to flooding, and even minor floods can destroy outdoor habitats, like ant hills and rodent burrows. — Alora Bopray, USA Today, 8 July 2026 When heavy rain occurs, there is a potential for flooding, particularly in areas that are low-lying or prone to floods. — Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026 In the past, it's been falsely linked with everything from hurricanes to floods, wildfires and alien abductions. — Emma Woollacott, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 The crosses, big and small, represent the people who have died in the Central Texas floods. — Marissa Armas, CBS News, 30 June 2026 Her prior home had been washed away in the floods in La Guaira in 1999, in which thousands had died. — Joshua Partlow, The Atlantic, 30 June 2026

Verb

This is the essence of GPS spoofing, in which an attacker floods a GPS receiver with deceptive signals. — Zita Ballinger Fletcher, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 Melatonin floods the brain and body, telling each cell that night has come. — Literary Hub, 17 June 2026 Eating quickly floods your body with calories, which can cause blood sugar levels to skyrocket. — Mark Gurarie, Verywell Health, 9 June 2026 The virus floods the immune system, eventually shredding our vasculature. — Neil Vora, Time, 22 May 2026 Years later, when our lives intersect with children and children’s books, the ice thaws; that old love floods us. — Mac Barnett, Longreads, 5 May 2026 Neuroscientists Wendy Suzuki, PhD, Samuel Wang, PhD, and Gary Small, MD explain how movement increases blood flow, boosts growth factors like BDNF, and floods the brain with mood-lifting neurochemicals. — Big Think, 30 Apr. 2026 These pieces blend perfectly with lamps designed by Marcel Wanders, the subtle Ice Cream collection, and the natural light that floods the space, bringing the building’s century-old architecture to life. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026 The annual SantaCon bar crawl that floods New York City with inebriated young people in Santa suits every holiday season was run by a real-life Grinch, according to federal prosecutors. — Larry Neumeister, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for floods

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

Verb

Most of the peril comes with dangerous ship-wrecking moments, including one that implies the death of Moana's relative, while our heroine herself almost drowns on her first voyage from land.

— Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 July 2026
The show involved bizarre, absurdist comedy premises — in one episode, a man drowns in a bowl of Mary’s chicken soup — and satirized the effects of consumerism on the American housewife.

— Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 7 July 2026

Definition of drowns

Verb

Heat schmaltz in a large pot to 325 F, ensuring the fat fully submerges the chicken.

— Kelly McCarthy, ABC News, 9 June 2026
Reviews have been positive for the thriller, which follows several residents of a small South Carolina town after a freak storm submerges the streets in enough water for marine predators to move in looking for snacks.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 17 Apr. 2026