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 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
  • In Cebu city, cars swept away by floods have piled into streets and houses.
    Helen Regan, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Those floods killed at least 35 people, officials told AFP.
    Rajeev Tyagi, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • But, at a moment when big narrative audio studios are shuttering, loads of people are being laid off and fewer documentary series are being made, this sentence really struck a nerve in the industry of folks who produce, write, edit and sound design longform narrative audio.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
  • That could mean co-locating with renewables, using batteries to extend solar availability, or making data centers flexible enough to shift heavy compute loads to periods of abundant clean power.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic’s steep terrain will force air upward, wringing out more moisture from the storm, just like squeezing a wet sponge, turning tropical humidity into torrents racing downhill.
    Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
  • The death of Banda Amidst the torrents, Arisu follows the sound of Usagi’s voice, as they are both swept towards a watery vortex that leads to the world of the dead.
    Kayti Burt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Chicago O’Hare, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International, Denver International and Dallas-Fort Worth also experienced dozens of cancellations and hundreds of delays, FlightAware data shows.
    Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2025
  • The original location closed more than a dozen years ago.
    Susan Selasky, Freep.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Qatar aims to have 11 million tons per year of CCS capacity in place by 2035.
    Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Grating sections are approximately 5½ feet wide by 38 feet and about 5 inches deep, with each piece weighing about 2 tons.
    Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Of course, the most popular picks among winter sports enthusiasts take them to the nation’s mightiest mountain ranges, with technique-testing terrain, breathtaking views, and piles of powder.
    Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 10 Nov. 2025
  • His investing strategy has turned on an incessant search for value, with Berkshire Hathaway often sitting on giant piles of cash until just the right deal comes through.
    Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 10 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • To offer more deals, and earlier in the season.
    Phil Wahba, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Credit-rating agencies saw richer locales as very likely to repay their debts and gave them sweet deals on interest rates, which meant that these towns owed less to those who’d bought their bonds.
    Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • At the same time, Stryker paid him hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to help develop its own devices.
    Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Nov. 2025
  • On Monday, he was posthumously named a national hero of Indonesia – prompting protests from human rights groups and victims who decried the award as whitewashing a repressive regime that left hundreds of thousands dead, according to historians.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spates. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on spates

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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