spates

noun

plural of spate
1
as in floods
a great flow of water or of something that overwhelms a spate of words has been published on this controversial topic

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 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
  1. floods
  2. loads
  3. torrents
  4. dozens
  5. tons
  6. piles
  7. deals
  8. hundreds
Noun
  • Even short periods of moderate rain on severe burn scars can unleash post-fire floods.
    — Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Lessons from Corpus Christi In Corpus Christi, recent floods have delayed the city's water emergency until 2028, buying leaders there some time.
    — Lexi Salazar, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of floods
Noun
  • The deck replacement is necessary because traffic loads on the span have become increasingly heavy, and salt air has eroded bridge materials.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • According to Formlabs, this improves strength, toughness, heat resistance, and resistance to gradual deformation under sustained loads, while producing a harder, less tacky surface.
    — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of loads
Noun
  • There was also a time when leadership halted, then resumed, downloading torrents sourced from Anna’s Archive, another staffer testified.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Few of her words survived the torrents of sound in which they were immersed; as with certain Grouper recordings, the lyrics emerged as texture more than syntax.
    — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of torrents
Noun
  • An ocean bordered by dozens of countries would be far harder to rename than a gulf or a lake.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Two women, ages 50 and 60, were killed and dozens of other people were wounded in a Russian strike on a market in Lozova, in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of the regional military administration.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of dozens
Noun
  • At that rate, removing one billion tons a year would consume almost 8 percent of all the electricity produced worldwide.
    — Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • For context, burning fossil fuels produced about 38 billion tons in 2025.
    — Scott K. Johnson, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of tons
Noun
  • There’s joy, there’s music, there’s magically regenerating food, trees that flower and fruit at the same time, piles of treasure, crystals that rain from the sky, everlasting happiness and health.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Discreet ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘maybe’ piles of pictures appear on the floor, to be reviewed by Grimes and Gallici later.
    — Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of piles
Noun
  • The best deals go to a few firms, with others given a sliver at frothy valuations or locked out until an IPO.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • But as gas demand from data centers and LNG export terminals on the Gulf Coast has surged, new pipeline deals are being announced every few weeks.
    — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of deals
Noun
  • In the Bucha district, one woman was killed and 21 people were wounded, eight of them children, while hundreds of buildings were damaged, according to police.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Their contracts can run hundreds of pages, making harmful terms easy to bury.
    — Emma Witman, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of hundreds

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Cite this Entry

“Spates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spates. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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