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
  • While the ballot box can’t change the risk of floods or hurricanes, a constitutional amendment on the November ballot could reduce homeowners’ costs in the form of lower property taxes.
    — Abigail Hall, The Conversation, 30 July 2026
  • Residents from the region spoke to her about dealing with avalanches, floods and landslides in their isolated home.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 30 July 2026
Definition of floods
Noun
  • The weight is adjustable, allowing experienced CrossFit athletes and fitness newcomers to ruck together while carrying different loads.
    — Jeff Fromm, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Today, there are loads of fancier, stronger knots that have become common in fishing.
    — Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 30 July 2026
Definition of loads
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
  • Around the dozens of containers that make Toolik the US’s largest research station in the Arctic, musk ox and caribou graze on dwarf birches and fragrant labrador tea, while Arctic ground squirrels pop out of their burrows to survey the tundra.
    — Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • The 180-acre (73-hectare) retreat, which is run by the Navy and guarded by Marines, has a cabin named Aspen that’s reserved for the president, plus about a dozen other cabins for guests.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 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
  • The smell of rotten eggs permeates communities where large piles of decaying sargassum emit ammonia and hydrogen sulfide.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
  • Content piles up faster than it can be classified or reused, and AI only accelerates that.
    — Benjamin Faes, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
Definition of piles
Noun
  • There have also been growing concerns that AI companies are propping each other up through a web of funding deals, with Nvidia at the heart of those worries.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
  • That single habit, repeated across thousands of deals, is the real reason influencer rates keep climbing.
    — Chris Ryan, Forbes.com, 30 July 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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Cite this Entry

“Spates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spates. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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