1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in engulfs
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
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Recent Examples of overflows
Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Officials at the Water Reclamation Authority are pursuing new goals after the utility was officially released last year from a pair of longstanding legal agreements that required the utility to address sewer overflows, leading to major investments across the system.
—Arkansas Online, 22 Oct. 2025
Human waste and trash overflows became so problematic at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California that the parks were forced to close, according to the association.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2025
Post updated to remove comparison to buffer overflows and SQL injections.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
What has the city done about the overflows?
—Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 Sep. 2025
This would prevent combined sewer overflows, which is when sewage floods area stormwater lines and deposits into local waterbodies.
—Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
Since 1995, the sewerage district has invested more than $580 million in green infrastructure and flood management projects to improve the landscape's ability to hold onto water, minimizing overflows.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Wetlands protect homes, reduce sewer overflows and safeguard lives.
—Howard Learner, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025
Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
The rate adjustments over the past 20 years were meant to allow the utility to meet its requirements related to the sewer overflows, Block told the Board of Directors during a meeting last week.
—Arkansas Online, 22 Oct. 2025
This book overflows with literary references and sailing knowledge.
—The Know, Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2025
The system captures and diverts roughly 95% of the sewage overflows in the city, or about five billion gallons a year.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 9 Oct. 2025
Why do sewer overflows keep happening?
—Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 Sep. 2025
Cape Town overflows with history and culture, from the colorful houses and Cape Malay heritage of Bo-Kaap to the solemn shores of Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years in prison.
—Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2025
Things take a turn for the worse when, in a moment viewers can't stop talking about all these weeks later, Mark uses the bathroom and the toilet overflows.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
More rural parts of the country can also see overflows from factory farms, leading to large amounts of animal waste and other pollutants ending up in ponds, lakes and rivers.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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
Officials at the Water Reclamation Authority are pursuing new goals after the utility was officially released last year from a pair of longstanding legal agreements that required the utility to address sewer overflows, leading to major investments across the system.
—Arkansas Online, 22 Oct. 2025
Human waste and trash overflows became so problematic at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California that the parks were forced to close, according to the association.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2025
Post updated to remove comparison to buffer overflows and SQL injections.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
What has the city done about the overflows?
—Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 Sep. 2025
This would prevent combined sewer overflows, which is when sewage floods area stormwater lines and deposits into local waterbodies.
—Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
Since 1995, the sewerage district has invested more than $580 million in green infrastructure and flood management projects to improve the landscape's ability to hold onto water, minimizing overflows.
—Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Wetlands protect homes, reduce sewer overflows and safeguard lives.
—Howard Learner, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025
Verb
Hesse’s life experiences would make for a fascinating movie, even without charisma, but the fact that the 90-year-old overflows with the joy of being alive and unending passion for cinema makes the director’s job a lot easier.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2025
The rate adjustments over the past 20 years were meant to allow the utility to meet its requirements related to the sewer overflows, Block told the Board of Directors during a meeting last week.
—Arkansas Online, 22 Oct. 2025
This book overflows with literary references and sailing knowledge.
—The Know, Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2025
The system captures and diverts roughly 95% of the sewage overflows in the city, or about five billion gallons a year.
—Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 9 Oct. 2025
Why do sewer overflows keep happening?
—Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 Sep. 2025
Cape Town overflows with history and culture, from the colorful houses and Cape Malay heritage of Bo-Kaap to the solemn shores of Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years in prison.
—Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2025
Things take a turn for the worse when, in a moment viewers can't stop talking about all these weeks later, Mark uses the bathroom and the toilet overflows.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
More rural parts of the country can also see overflows from factory farms, leading to large amounts of animal waste and other pollutants ending up in ponds, lakes and rivers.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overflows
Noun
-
In Cebu city, cars swept away by floods have piled into streets and houses.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Those floods killed at least 35 people, officials told AFP.—
Rajeev Tyagi,
ABC News,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The pot of money has built sizable reserves due to annual surpluses and an arrangement for the fund to share in a portion of tariff revenue, Super added.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
3 Nov. 2025
-
In this approach, BESS handles rapid fluctuations within milliseconds, absorbing short-term surpluses or deficits.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The main level spills onto terraces and an infinity pool that seems to melt into the Mediterranean.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Gossip Girl centered around a group of wealthy high school students who are being terrorized by a mysterious and vicious blogger (who was voiced by Kristen Bell) who mercilessly spills all of their secrets.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Once a cushioned conduit to the other side, the casket now bursts with the wisdom of a life lived outside the box.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Later, as the film plays, the crowd bursts intermittently into laughter, cracking up at the clown-car quality of everyone piling into the van for the first time.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic’s steep terrain will force air upward, wringing out more moisture from the storm, just like squeezing a wet sponge, turning tropical humidity into torrents racing downhill.—
Chris Dolce,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The death of Banda Amidst the torrents, Arisu follows the sound of Usagi’s voice, as they are both swept towards a watery vortex that leads to the world of the dead.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Frank set about reining in their attacking excesses.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
-
But Septime Webre’s choreography is supposed to have the air of wild and sometimes frenzied social dancing, of Charlestons and Fox Trots and Black Bottoms, of indulging the glorious excesses of the 1920s before the greedier side of the American Dream comes crashing down a few years later.—
David Lyman,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Over such spans, change overwhelms continuity; too much simply disappears.—
Manvir Singh,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
-
This figure motivates Butrich but also overwhelms her.—
Sabrina Weiss,
The Dial,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Beetle buzzes by with tiny pumpkins perched on top, and Xuanwu, a ground robot carrying a drone, walks ominously in the background.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Nov. 2025
-
In September, New York buzzes with the energy of New York Fashion Week (NYFW).—
Tabitha Britt,
Flow Space,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overflows.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overflows. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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