OVERFLOWS Synonyms: 117 Similar and Opposite Words

overflows 1 of 2

noun

plural of overflow

as in floods

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

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Relevance

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as in surpluses

the state or an instance of going beyond what is usual, proper, or needed an overflow of help actually made the job more complicated

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overflows

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of overflow

as in spills

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

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recedes

as in engulfs

to cover with a flood the swollen river overflowed the surrounding land and washed several houses away

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as in bursts

to be copiously supplied a magazine that usually overflows with home-repair tips for the do-it-yourselfer

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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 overflows

Noun

As long as the 83/17 split remains in place, protecting local waterways from combined sewer overflows will continue to exacerbate the water affordability crisis in Detroit. —

Nicole Van Lier, The Conversation, 13 May 2026 That can allow attackers to leverage serious vulnerabilities like buffer overflows and memory leaks to compromise devices. —

Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026 And in places where sewage and rain flow through the same pipes, heavy rains made worse by climate change can make overflows to waterways more frequent and severe. —

ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026 The overflows have triggered a number of recreational and shellfish harvesting advisories along the Potomac. —

Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 22 Feb. 2026 During a raucous and at times contentious meeting that lasted more than three hours, residents said the facility would damage drinking water quality, and harm the environment, frequently citing concerns about both potential flooding and overflows and about the ongoing drought. —

Liz Teitz, San Antonio Express-News, 11 Feb. 2026 As a result, sewage blockages and overflows became widespread, increasing the risk of wastewater contaminating drinking water sources and heightening the likelihood of outbreaks of diarrhea, hepatitis A and other waterborne diseases in an already vulnerable community. —

Sarah Ferguson, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026 However, long-term problems persist as completely eliminating overflows will take decades, according to officials. —

Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 16 Jan. 2026 The buildup can also clog sewage systems, leading to overflows that send raw sewage into rivers, lakes, and oceans. —

Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025

Verb

During this time of year, the area overflows with purples, golds, and greens, with plenty of family-friendly parades on the schedule—and lots of king cake to go around. —

Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2026 In urban areas, the conditions also heighten the risk of combined sewer overflows, when stormwater mixes with untreated sewage, said Allison Fore, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. —

Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026 Baltimore’s efforts are reducing sewer overflows but take time and must be balanced with cost, according to city’s Department of Public Works. —

ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026 The City of Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management is building an underground vault with a park on top to improve stormwater management, enhance drainage, and decrease flooding and sewer overflows that have historically impacted the area. —

Drew Kann, AJC.com, 28 Feb. 2026 The City maintains reimbursement programs for certain wet-weather sanitary sewer overflows; however, eligibility is governed by specific criteria. —

Kaicey Baylor, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026 Fixing those backups is expensive, and sometimes clogging can cause sewage overflows into streets, yards, rivers and lakes. —

Julia James, Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026 Gussie Maguire, a Maryland staff scientist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, told The Hill that sewage overflows are more common than many may realize. —

Jared Gans, The Hill, 13 Feb. 2026 The villain, Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus, overflows with humanity, too. —

James Grebey, Vulture, 31 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for overflows

Noun

And Spanish voters are preoccupied with a housing crisis, debates over services for migrants, and the government’s handling of natural disasters, including floods in recent years that left hundreds of people dead.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 13 May 2026
Nearly half of American houses predate 1980, before today’s era of megafires, floods, and hurricanes.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 May 2026