1
as in flood
a great flow of water or of something that overwhelms
a great overflow of water from the heavy rains swept mud and silt down onto the highway
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in surplus
the state or an instance of going beyond what is usual, proper, or needed
an overflow of help actually made the job more complicated
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
as in to engulf
to cover with a flood
the swollen river overflowed the surrounding land and washed several houses away
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
Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
If not, the Town and Country Resort can use it as an overflow pool.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2025
Dianne Gallagher, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2025
Ensure the keep pile isn’t overflowing while your donate pile is slim.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overflow
Noun
Beaches are still occasionally closed after sewage overflows, a sign that efforts to improve treatment plants and divert storm runoff are, at best, incomplete.
—Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
If not, the Town and Country Resort can use it as an overflow pool.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2025
Verb
Rocked by Helene Helene forced Rogers and his wife Rosy from their Polk County, North Carolina, cabin last year after heavy flooding overflowed the nearby Hungry River and damaged the bridge that connected them to their home and neighborhood.
—Dianne Gallagher, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2025
Ensure the keep pile isn’t overflowing while your donate pile is slim.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overflow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overflow
Noun
-
Constructed in the later half of the 19th century, the building has weathered fire, flood, abandonment—and even ghosts.—
Valerie Fraser Luesse,
Southern Living,
21 Apr. 2025
-
For more than four decades, the state of the climate has been part of the national conversation—especially when severe weather events linked to a warming world such as droughts, floods, heat waves, and hurricanes occur.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The surplus with the U.S. ballooned to 9 trillion yen ($63 billion).—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Managing surplus energy for local businesses and municipalities In most data centers, servers are air-cooled.—
Erik Kobayashi-Solomon,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Then came another wait to dump their loads — an untold number of incinerated living room sets, teddy bears, running shoes and other detritus, spilling into a final resting place.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2025
-
Funnels are nice for not spilling stuff, in general.—
Matthew Korfhage,
Wired News,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
So, this was the crisis that engulfed Virginia at the end of April in 1775.—
Ari Daniel,
Smithsonian Magazine,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Police officers and firefighters arrived to find the building fully engulfed in flames.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Coogler burst onto the scene with the indie hit Fruitvale Station before going on to direct Creed and the Black Panther franchise (the latter two both starred Jordan).—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Apr. 2025
-
Culture Club burst onto the UK new romantic scene in 1981 and became one of the most defining and influential bands of their generation.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
But the two creeks skirting Damascus had already converged in a swollen torrent, swallowing the main road through town.—
Barbara Kingsolver,
Southern Living,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Wolf’s now-legendary 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which was not attended by Donald Trump but was attended by his then-White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, drew a torrent of angry responses — and not all from the right.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In particular, smoking, vaping, drinking alcohol, skipping sleep, using recreational drugs (like marijuana), and downing a ton of sugar may all contribute to an excess of those free-wheeling free radicals and impair your body’s ability to defend against them.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Many retailers have likely rushed their orders to get ahead of these levies, which can lead to an excess of inventory and a need to liquidate for cash.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Avoid overfilling the feeder with nectar to reduce nectar waste.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Toilet paper goes right into the film baggy – just don't overfill!—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overflow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overflow. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share