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
  • Climate change, coupled with this year's extra-strong El Niño -- a temporary warming in parts of the equatorial Pacific that increase extreme events such as heat waves, floods and droughts -- are a warning of what could be in store.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Song suggested drones could assist civilian rescue teams during landslides, road collapses and floods.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of floods
Noun
  • The elasticity of the cloud isn’t available in an air-gapped on-premise environment; hence, the size needs to account for the peak loads.
    — Karan Alang, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • PlusAI is a company working on autonomous trucking solutions with Nvidia, and the sand was in the trailers to simulate freight loads.
    — Nick Indge, ArsTechnica, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of loads
Noun
  • Storms in late October and early November sent torrents of water through normally small or dry creeks that overflowed their banks and flooded local communities.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2026
  • 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
Definition of torrents
Noun
  • At Thursday’s event, more than a dozen disability, aging, mental health and civil rights organizations, as well as self-advocates, joined together to urge the governor to support all Medicaid Home and Community Based Services programs, not just CFC.
    — Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 13 Nov. 2026
  • But in the past two years, large outbreaks have hit multiple states, spawning thousands of illnesses, including about a dozen deaths.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of dozens
Noun
  • It's also defined by tons of glazing, including windows and large operable doors.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Workers have taken down dozens of trees and have been moving tons of dirt on both sides of the freeway.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of tons
Noun
  • Avoid placing meat scraps or sweet foods, such as fruit and fruit peels, in compost piles.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 11 Nov. 2026
  • But when winter arrives, those leaves could be replaced by piles of snow.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of piles
Noun
  • Residents have spoken at meetings, both in Fort Worth and elsewhere, about concerns that cities might push deals through despite opposition.
    — Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Amid a recent string of high-dollar deals, sales of Orange County single-family homes priced at $30 million or more climbed about 50% year over year, according to Compass data cited by The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the listing.
    — Sandra Barrera, Oc Register, 12 Nov. 2026
Definition of deals
Noun
  • Also pending is the release of hundreds of political prisoners.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Nov. 2026
  • That's a casualty of last year's government shutdown, which idled hundreds of government price-checkers so prices from October 2025 were never recorded for comparison.
    — Scott Horsley, NPR, 10 Nov. 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 14 Nov. 2026.

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