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
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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
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
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
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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.
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In total, last July’s monstrous floods killed at least 136 people along the Guadalupe River in Texas Hill Country.
Noun
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Lithium batteries often maintain more consistent performance throughout their charge cycle, a trait that may be noticeable when tackling hills or carrying heavier loads.
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This leads to higher fungal loads.
Noun
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Heavy rainfall in the area caused torrents and increased the risk of landslides, making rescue operations more difficult, state media said.
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Spring rains and winter snowmelt have swelled rivers and lakes, forcing torrents of water through Cheboygan County communities on its way to Lake Huron.
Noun
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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.
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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.
Noun
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Having a few good friends can be more meaningful than having tons.
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There are tons of other great Spanx deals to shop over the Fourth of July weekend.
Noun
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What was left of other buildings were buried under piles of their own debris.
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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.
Noun
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There are tons of other great Spanx deals to shop over the Fourth of July weekend.
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The idea is to help showcase films that received critical acclaim, but did not secure distribution or acquisition deals.
Noun
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Some students going back to school in August can kiss their cellphones goodbye during the day, thanks to one of the hundreds of new laws going into effect in Georgia on July 1.
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Much of the same was seen in Pacoima, where a hundreds of people were spotted dancing and watching fireworks at the intersection of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Van Nuys Boulevard.
Cite this Entry
“Spates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spates. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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