spates

plural of spate
1
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
Noun
  • Camp Mystic filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization on Wednesday, nearly a year after catastrophic floods killed 25 girls, two teenage counselors, and the director at the all-girls Christian camp in Texas.
    Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 24 June 2026
  • In total, last July’s monstrous floods killed at least 136 people along the Guadalupe River in Texas Hill Country.
    Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 24 June 2026
Noun
  • Lithium batteries often maintain more consistent performance throughout their charge cycle, a trait that may be noticeable when tackling hills or carrying heavier loads.
    Malana VanTyler, USA Today, 24 June 2026
  • This leads to higher fungal loads.
    Ana V. Longo, The Conversation, 24 June 2026
Noun
  • Heavy rainfall in the area caused torrents and increased the risk of landslides, making rescue operations more difficult, state media said.
    ABC News, ABC News, 17 May 2026
  • Spring rains and winter snowmelt have swelled rivers and lakes, forcing torrents of water through Cheboygan County communities on its way to Lake Huron.
    Sarah Brumfield, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Health care stocks, meanwhile, were some of the strongest forces pushing upward on the market after a committee of the European Medicines Agency recommended several medicines for approval and the extension for another dozen of their therapeutic indications.
    Stan Choe, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2026
  • Previous cloud-seeding controversies Cloud seeding is now at the center of the rise in weather‑control conspiracy narratives after disasters, such as the tragic Texas floods of 2025 that killed dozens of people, many of them children.
    Doyle Rice, USA Today, 27 June 2026
Noun
  • The aim is to cut greenhouse gases from roughly 350,000 tons of organic waste a year and help Los Angeles finally comply with California’s ambitious Senate Bill 1383 composting mandates.
    Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2026
  • There are tons of mice out there with an entire keypad’s worth of thumb buttons — the Razer Naga pioneered the genre.
    Brad Bourque, The Verge, 23 June 2026
Noun
  • What was left of other buildings were buried under piles of their own debris.
    Osmary Hernández, CNN Money, 27 June 2026
  • Idling trucks, sandbag piles and large metal trailers stationed around a massive cold storage facility that burned for days in Boyle Heights signaled that the work to clean up millions of pounds of spoiled food and burned debris had begun Friday morning.
    Jazmin Alvarado, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
Noun
  • Top-selling Prime Day deals There are smartwatches, and then there are Apple Watches, which take fitness and health tracking to a whole new level.
    BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
  • Alex Veka, founder of Vibe Adventures, said late-night scrolling through flight deals is a classic red flag.
    Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 26 June 2026
Noun
  • Yimvert Berroteran, a promising young talent, was among the hundreds of people who died, the Venezuelan national team and the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF) said Friday.
    Anabella González, CNN Money, 29 June 2026
  • Temperatures climb after Sunday, with heat indices in the hundreds for multiple days, prompting the National Weather Service to issue an extreme heat watch for Cook County, in effect from Monday through Wednesday.
    Victor Jacobo, CBS News, 28 June 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spates. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on spates

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster