Definition of overflownext
1
as in to flood
to flow over the brim or top of while the wine steward stood there gawking at the nearby celebrity, my expensive champagne was overflowing its glass and pouring onto our table

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
as in to burst
to be copiously supplied a magazine that usually overflows with home-repair tips for the do-it-yourselfer

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 overflow
Noun
Thursday night's meeting has been moved to a bigger location with an overflow room at 2121 South Union. — Lauren Victory, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026 How levees work Levees are earthen embankments positioned parallel to a river that effectively raise the height of the banks of the river to prevent overflow when the river swells. — Kaleigh Yost, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026
Verb
Some people collect stamps, some collect tiny spoons—and then there’s me, with 200-plus bottles of perfume and overflowing drawers of matching sets. — Reece Andavolgyi, InStyle, 20 Sep. 2026 An overflowing pool caused a hillside to partially collapse in the Hollywood Hills on Friday, prompting evacuations. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for overflow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overflow
Noun
  • The emergency declaration will help coordinate and mobilize supplies and mitigation work across the state, including flood mitigation and snow preparation.
    — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Light floods through the floor-to-ceiling windows of The Pizza Bar on 38th, located inside the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Nihonbashi.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • In addition, the county could use $5 million from its 2026 surplus funds to pay for a new rental assistance program for lower-income residents.
    — Alicia Fabbre, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Democrats framed their opposition around current budget woes, as the state surplus declines and lawmakers face difficult decisions about funding cuts.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The situation did come close to spilling over to something that would have been foreign to my whole being, my whole behavior.
    — Juliana Ukiomogbe, Architectural Digest, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Protests spilled onto the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and lasted for days, representing a profound threat to the Israeli government.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The timing of her return surely coincides with the circumstances surrounding her near death and the grim mysteries that have engulfed the slow horses.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Milestones evoking 2007 tend to make investors squeamish, conjuring up unpleasant memories of the financial crisis that engulfed global markets in 2008.
    — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Bake for 25 minutes, until the tomatoes have burst and the gnocchi have a slight crisp.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
  • After dealing only in renderings the last time around, the real, live Nugget Schmiede roof burst to life at the recent Düsseldorf Caravan Salon.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 23 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Like the groves and gardens, houses built foolhardily near the dry summertime river risked being pulled off their foundations and washed away by the winter torrents.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
  • This malicious torrent leads to the download of the malware loader.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 17 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • In Lois Lowry’s dystopian novel The Giver, a world of human complexity has been flattened deliberately to remove the inconvenient excesses of emotion and feeling.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • At the exact same time, young, upstart groups like the Ramones and the Clash were forming in response to the corporatization of rock, the bloated egos of its biggest stars, and the excesses of prog with the back-to-basics minimalism of punk.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Raw shell eggs were overfilled in an insert tray and measured 55 degrees.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • On the other hand, overfilling the drum can strain the motor and reduce cleaning efficiency.
    — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Overflow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overflow. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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