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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
David Clarey, jsonline.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spates
Noun
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The camp’s emergency instructions told campers to stay in cabins during floods, violating Texas law requiring youth camps have evacuation procedures.—
Emily Foxhall,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
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Among the recent victims were a father and son swept away by a landslide in Arequipa, as well as a police officer in Lima who drowned in the Rimac River while attempting to rescue a dog trapped by the Andean floods.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Because the engine can be controlled during flight, the system does not require the expensive thermal protection systems typically associated with extreme heat loads at hypersonic speeds.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Feb. 2026
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Steyer has loads of his own money to spend on TV ads.—
George Skelton,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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According to experts, these homes encroach on a path that has carried torrents of water for centuries during periods of heavy rains.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
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In 2017, soaking storms led to flooding that caused $100 million in damage in downtown San Jose and the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people when the spillway at Oroville Dam, the nation’s tallest dam, in Butte County, partially collapsed under torrents of water.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In response, Iran reportedly launched dozens of ballistic missiles toward Israel, according to Nour News, an outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Feb. 2026
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But of 800 buildings, fewer than a dozen have been truly renovated.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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At the 127,000-square-foot facility, upward of 275,000 tons of material are expected to be recycled per year.—
Megan Vaz,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Feb. 2026
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After the Cold War ended, storage basins attached to the K reactors were reused to hold about 2,300 tons of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel underwater.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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When the power fails, businesses close, employees lose wages, and spoiled inventory piles up.—
Israel Melendez Ayala,
Time,
28 Feb. 2026
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Defeat piles pressure on Starmer before May elections Labour won just over half the vote in Gorton and Denton at the last general election in 2024.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But some industry experts have cast doubt on whether those deals would result in significantly lower drug prices for Americans.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
27 Feb. 2026
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Amazon is packed with can’t-miss deals on some of its top travel bags.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Speaking on behalf of hundreds of thousands of filmmakers worldwide.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Feb. 2026
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Talarico Positions Himself as Underdog Speaking last week at the University of North Texas in Denton before hundreds of supporters, Talarico cast himself as the underdog in the race.—
Jack Fink,
CBS News,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spates. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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