SPATES Synonyms: 218 Similar and Opposite Words

spates

noun

plural of spate

as in floods

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

as in loads

a considerable amount an off-color remark that drew a spate of complaints from TV viewers

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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 spates Markets also have been wavering from spates of heavy selling of stocks in companies linked to the boom in artificial intelligence. — ABC News, 10 June 2026 When spates of violence like that occur, Norman said the department increases patrols in that area, drawing on resources from outside the area to do so. — David Clarey, jsonline.com, 28 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spates

Noun

Climate change has fueled an increase in the number — and intensity — of severe weather events like wildfires, hurricanes, droughts and floods.

— Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026
Water floods Wonderland Avenue following a water main break in Laurel Canyon.

— Julie Sharp, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of floods

Noun

Most of the deaths were in Hengzhou, where the partial collapse of a reservoir dam sent torrents of water into the city and claimed 26 lives, said Ding Wei, the vice mayor of Nanning city, which has jurisdiction over the area.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026
One significant problem, however, is that red dwarfs spit out harmful torrents of radiation in fierce gusts of their stellar winds, which can strip away a planet's atmosphere.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of torrents

Noun

That same day, the Houthis launched a flurry of attacks that reportedly killed and wounded dozens near the Yemen-Saudi border – sparking condemnation from Jordanian, Bahraini and Kuwaiti authorities.

— Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Cal Fire continues to battle the Gann Fire, which has burned more than 10,000 acres in Calaveras County and destroyed over a dozen structures.

— Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of dozens

Noun

After the smelter closed in 1997, the EPA estimated the plant and other factories had dumped 200,000 tons of lead dust — enough to fill at least 1,600 rail cars — across Omaha’s east side.

— Chris Bowling, ProPublica, 4 Aug. 2026
Since Escola, who won a Tony for playing Mary, left the production, tons of famous faces have assumed the part including Jane Krakowski, Tituss Burgess, Betty Gilpin, Maya Rudolph and Meg Stalter.

— Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of tons

Noun

Fans could choose from rows upon rows of cleats, stacks of polos, piles of official football jerseys, bins of socks and racks of helmets.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
The fire chief, Gene Perreault, who was there during the walk-through, tells me the piles puzzled investigators.

— Zander Sherman, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of piles

Noun

Ruffalo plays Tom Brandis, a former priest who now heads an FBI task force looking into a string of murders and drug deals — as well as a spur-of-the-moment kidnapping — that happened in the backwoods of Pennsylvania’s Delaware County.

— Whitney Friedlander, Variety, 6 Aug. 2026
The public internet has been scraped, licensing deals are expensive and slow, and synthetic data drifts away from reality when a model learns mostly from itself.

— Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of deals

Noun

At the end of 2020, hundreds of hospitals were at full capacity, and more than 90% of ICU beds were occupied in a third of all hospitals.

— Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
As artificial intelligence fuels a new startup boom, debate for students over whether to spend years—and potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars—earning a degree or dropping out to chase the next billion-dollar unicorn has intensified.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of hundreds

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“Spates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spates. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of spates

noun

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