spate

noun

ˈspāt How to pronounce spate (audio)
Definition of spatenext
1
as in flood
a great flow of water or of something that overwhelms a spate of words has been published on this controversial topic

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in loads
a considerable amount an off-color remark that drew a spate of complaints from TV viewers

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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 spate Its security and safety upgrades became particularly pressing in light of a recent spate of thefts across the country, most famously including the Louvre crown jewel heist in October, 2025. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2026 But following a spate of safety issues and the pandemic, in June 2021, Epicentre fell into receivership after defaulting on an $85 million loan from lender Deutsche Bank Trust Co. — Charlotte Observer, 4 Nov. 2026 The company said Monday that its recent World Cup telecasts and a spate of political advertising had boosted profit and revenue in its first fiscal quarter. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 2 Nov. 2026 That investigation has shown signs of faltering amid a spate of staff turnovers and delays. — ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for spate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spate
  1. flood
  2. loads
  3. torrent
  4. slew
  5. dozen
  6. ton
  7. raft
  8. bunch
Noun
  • In 1966, the banks of the Arno river burst, causing the most destructive flood Florence had ever experienced.
    — Bella Webb, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Others were evacuated from New Mexico's Rio Arriba County, where the Rio Chama was under a flood warning through Tuesday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of flood
Noun
  • The elasticity of the cloud isn’t available in an air-gapped on-premise environment; hence, the size needs to account for the peak loads.
    — Karan Alang, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • PlusAI is a company working on autonomous trucking solutions with Nvidia, and the sand was in the trailers to simulate freight loads.
    — Nick Indge, ArsTechnica, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of loads
Noun
  • Storms in late October and early November sent torrents of water through normally small or dry creeks that overflowed their banks and flooded local communities.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2026
  • The claim led to a torrent of stomach-churning abuse and harassment directed at Dangerfield and her husband.
    — Nathan Taylor Pemberton, Vanity Fair, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of torrent
Noun
  • Smedley makes knitwear for a slew of luxury brands, and also collaborates closely with Grace Wales Bonner, Hermès’ new menswear designer.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 10 Nov. 2026
  • In 2025, amid a slew of efforts to monitor trains, educate teens, and go after social media posts showing off subway surfers, six people were injured and five died while riding on top of subway trains.
    — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of slew
Noun
  • This story is based on internal documents, emails, agency data, recordings and interviews with more than two dozen current and former VA staffers, along with veterans and their families.
    — Eric Umansky, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Only 250 are available, and the first 50 orders get an extra dozen of Guard’s triple chocolate chip cookies.
    — Sara Hansen, Denver Post, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of dozen
Noun
  • The machine uses a Volvo Penta electric driveline and is rated to lay up to 551 US tons (500 tonnes) of asphalt per hour without producing exhaust emissions at the work site.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 11 Nov. 2026
  • But SpaceX is phasing out the Falcon 9 — and its heavy-lift cousin, the Falcon Heavy — nonetheless, shifting all launch work over to its fully reusable Starship megarocket, which can haul more than 100 tons to LEO.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of ton
Noun
  • The hard truth is that homelessness is the result of a raft of problems beyond any mayor’s full control.
    — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Carbon dioxide removal refers to a raft of techniques to scrub carbon pollution from the atmosphere and lock it away.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of raft
Noun
  • From there, launderers want to move the money across networks like Ethereum to Bitcoin then pull it from a mixed pool with a bunch of other people's assets.
    — Cooper Katz McKim, NPR, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Someone who’s experiencing homelessness generally has a whole bunch of stuff.
    — Jessica Tzikas, Sun Sentinel, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of bunch

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Cite this Entry

“Spate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spate. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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