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
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
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
Post updated to remove comparison to buffer overflows and SQL injections.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
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
The policy also reduces the chance of being seated next to a passenger who overflows into adjacent seats.
—Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The football world overflows with thin-skinned, insecure coaches.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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
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
Post updated to remove comparison to buffer overflows and SQL injections.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
The policy also reduces the chance of being seated next to a passenger who overflows into adjacent seats.
—Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
The football world overflows with thin-skinned, insecure coaches.
—Steve Buckley, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overflows
Noun
-
The advisory noted there are risks of natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and landslides — warning the Kathmandu Valley is prone to harsh weather.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Trooper, which sells a 75-item box equipped with water pouches, meal bars, and a hand-crank radio, designed to sustain a family of four for 72 hours, built its kits after the 2024 floods but has found an altogether different audience since the missile and drone volleys started, AGBI reported.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Ritter’s proposal came several hours before the legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal office projected an operating deficit of nearly $30 million in the state’s general fund — a sharp contrast from the booming surpluses of the past seven years.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Over the course of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s term, CPS has lurched from budget crisis to budget crisis, able only to muddle through due to record-breaking mayoral declarations of tax-increment-financing surpluses.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Coffee spills from this morning.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Out spills a bunch of colorful Pikmin, the plant-like creatures from Nintendo's line of real-time strategy and puzzle video games of the same name.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The 60-year immigration bubble finally bursts.—
,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Wandering through the wash, the mind drifts not to the film but to the flash floods that move through this channel after heavy rains, sudden torrents cutting and reshaping the valley floor in a matter of hours.—
Josh Jackson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Excessive rain caused torrents of water to wash out homes, damage roads, and threaten to burst a dam, sparking an emergency evacuation of thousands in Oahu on March 20.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The city’s geographic location insulates it from some of the excesses and blinkered thinking that often dominate other metropolises.—
Daniel Holz,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Revelry Reformed Already in the Middle Ages, there existed conflict between those who partook in carnival’s excesses for a higher, spiritual purpose, and those who enjoyed themselves for enjoyment’s sake.—
Tim Brinkhof,
JSTOR Daily,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Then emotion, suddenly, overwhelms her.—
TIME,
Time,
7 Apr. 2026
-
And its power overwhelms that kind of analogy.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The 15 seconds is displayed on the pitch clock, and umpires wear a communication device that buzzes when the clock strikes zero.—
Jay Cohen,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Amid the population boom, Folsom buzzes with a new vibrancy, as its historic Gold Rush-era downtown is thriving and its surrounding lakes and trails offer plenty of outdoor recreation — and the secret’s getting out.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overflows.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overflows. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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