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

Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, a statewide research division, said El Niño is partly to blame for the recent floods.

— Ava Berger, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026
From droughts and wildfires to floods and slow, rolling nature degradation, fashion’s nature risks are becoming impossible to ignore.

— Bella Webb, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of floods

Noun

Cranes lift 200-ton loads at mountain bridge site The R4300-200 has a maximum lifting capacity of 200 metric tons (220 US tons) and an 80-meter jib (262 feet).

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
Its remaining civil rights workers have described untenable case loads and pressure to dismiss complaints.

— Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of loads

Noun

Remember Popcorn Time, the app that served as an easy-to-use front end for streaming torrents of movies and TV shows?

— Stevie Bonifield, The Verge, 23 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of torrents

Noun

One night before his 29th birthday, Thompson scored twice in 15 seconds in the second period, skating around the Ducks’ inert defense for a breakaway third goal that sent a dozen hats flying onto the Honda Center ice.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
With more than a dozen flights landing Salvadoran military personnel and equipment so far, the unusual deployment has thrust Bukele into a direct confrontation with Haiti’s powerful gangs.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of dozens

Noun

The effect is something like an off-season approximation of a sidewalk, and, your winter climate permitting, sidewalk chalk (tons of it, for $18) is another good option.

— Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
The natural gas storage well failed and uncontrollably released nearly 100,000 tons of methane and other substances into the atmosphere for more than 100 days.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of tons

Noun

Across the country, grain — a key export — piles up in fields and silos as farmers struggle to find routes safe from airstrikes and wait for prices to rise.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2026
The band was jeered at during live appearances and some angry listeners even bulldozed over piles of their CDs.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of piles

Noun

The talks could lead to decade-long energy partnerships, giving Moscow an opportunity to extend its influence in Africa as China and Western countries pursue nuclear deals of their own.

— Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2026
There is a historical template for deals between Iran and the United States—Tehran agrees to constrain or give up a specific behavior, and Washington agrees to give it money and recognition—that could apply neatly to the current conflict.

— ALLISON MINOR, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of deals

Noun

The Illinois State Board of Elections removed both from the ballot, finding them hundreds of valid signatures short.

— Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026
The takeover left millions of customers' savings and hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds in limbo.

— EMILIO SANABRIA, Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of hundreds

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“Spates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spates. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of spates

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