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
Mexican authorities announced no more than 25,000 will be allowed to gather near the statue, with overflow crowds directed to 49 other locations along Paseo de la Reforma and throughout the city featuring screens showing the game. Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026 There are hundreds of sewer overflow points throughout the Allegheny, the Monongahela and the Ohio rivers, Daniel Bain, associate professor of geology and environmental science at University of Pittsburgh. Finch Walker, USA Today, 5 July 2026
Verb
It’s backed by a mission-style silhouette tiled with an urn overflowing with foliage. R. Daniel Foster, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026 Summer is officially here, my Shark Chill Pill is working overtime, my calendar is overflowing, and the forecast seems determined to stay somewhere around 100 degrees. Amanda Le, InStyle, 21 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for overflow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overflow
Noun
  • Nor have complex land improvements like drainage or irrigation or flood control developed in a system imagined by private-sector maximalist author Ayn Rand.
    Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 26 July 2026
  • As the climate warms due in large part to the burning of fossil fuels, research shows that heat waves, droughts, hurricanes, and floods have become more intense and more frequent.
    Ava Berger, NPR, 26 July 2026
Noun
  • The shows’ studio, 20th TV Animation, kept the annual output relatively steady, diverting the surplus episodes to its streaming platforms.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 25 July 2026
  • And then there’s the annual plowing of millions in DWP surplus dollars into the City Hall piggy bank, which convinces ratepayers they’re being fleeced.
    Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026
Verb
  • By evening, crowds overflowed outside the site and spilled onto the streets and lanes.
    Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
  • Then, distillers spill about the best bottles to add to your collection.
    Karla Walsh, Southern Living, 21 July 2026
Verb
  • The resulting, room-sized artwork engulfed visitors in a swirling fantasia featuring bouncing balls, morphing nets and slow-motion action shots of Messi.
    Chloe Veltman, NPR, 29 July 2026
  • Between July and August 2003, Western Europe was engulfed by its hottest summer since meteorological records began in 1540.
    Nicole F. Roberts, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Verb
  • His emotions — and that sticky goo in his wrists — are about to burst.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
  • Along the narrow hallway, bookshelves burst with first editions of John Updike, battered Stephen Kings, graphic novels, dime-store paperbacks, board games, books about mythology, children’s fairy tales, and Warhammer rule sets.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 July 2026
Noun
  • The torrent’s force moved boulders more than 20 feet in diameter and weighing more than 275 tons, equivalent to the heft of more than 150 Subaru Outbacks.
    Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 27 July 2026
  • Her fight is interrupted by Percy (Walker Scobell), who brings down a torrent of water over the Laestrygonian.
    Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 23 July 2026
Noun
  • And crypto, for all its volatility and excess, happens to be one of the only industries that spent the last decade obsessively building internet-native money.
    Markus Levin, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • Visually, Hornbill avoids the excess that often defines heavy-duty folders.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 July 2026
Verb
  • On the other hand, overfilling the drum can strain the motor and reduce cleaning efficiency.
    Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 July 2026
  • Doctors overfill their schedules and often put in double shifts at the hospital.
    AllBusiness, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Overflow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overflow. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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