as in floods
a great flow of water or of something that overwhelms
the dam broke, unleashing a torrent down the dry riverbed
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Recent Examples of torrents
Even moderate rainfall can quickly transform these waterways into destructive torrents that overflow into nearby townships, including Friendswood and League City.
—
Dominic Boyer, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026
Wandering through the wash, the mind drifts not to the film but to the flash floods that move through this channel after heavy rains, sudden torrents cutting and reshaping the valley floor in a matter of hours.
—Josh Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Excessive rain caused torrents of water to wash out homes, damage roads, and threaten to burst a dam, sparking an emergency evacuation of thousands in Oahu on March 20.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
Lightning made the sky as bright as day, the thunder was a continuous crash, and torrents of rain poured down.
—Doris Decleene, Outdoor Life, 25 Feb. 2026
According to experts, these homes encroach on a path that has carried torrents of water for centuries during periods of heavy rains.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026
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
The report alleges the scrape includes 256 million rows of track metadata and 86 million audio files, to be distributed on P2P networks in bulk torrents totaling roughly 300 terabytes.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 21 Dec. 2025
Officials have conducted dozens of water rescues as debris and mudslides have closed highways and raging torrents have washed out roads and bridges.
—CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025
Dominic Boyer, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026
Wandering through the wash, the mind drifts not to the film but to the flash floods that move through this channel after heavy rains, sudden torrents cutting and reshaping the valley floor in a matter of hours.
—Josh Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
Excessive rain caused torrents of water to wash out homes, damage roads, and threaten to burst a dam, sparking an emergency evacuation of thousands in Oahu on March 20.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
Lightning made the sky as bright as day, the thunder was a continuous crash, and torrents of rain poured down.
—Doris Decleene, Outdoor Life, 25 Feb. 2026
According to experts, these homes encroach on a path that has carried torrents of water for centuries during periods of heavy rains.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026
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
The report alleges the scrape includes 256 million rows of track metadata and 86 million audio files, to be distributed on P2P networks in bulk torrents totaling roughly 300 terabytes.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 21 Dec. 2025
Officials have conducted dozens of water rescues as debris and mudslides have closed highways and raging torrents have washed out roads and bridges.
—CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torrents
floods
Noun
-
When a lot of rain falls very quickly, the ground can’t soak up the water—leading to floods.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Typhoon Sinlaku triggered floods, tore off roofs and overturned cars on Saipan.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Torrents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torrents. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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