flood 1 of 2

noun

ˈfləd How to pronounce flood (audio)
Definition of floodnext
as in torrent
a great flow of water or of something that overwhelms a flood nearly wiped out the town a flood of messages on my computer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

flood

2 of 2

verb

as in to engulf
to cover with a flood the lowlands were completely flooded angry calls flooded the radio station

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 flood
Noun
In recent years, Canyon has searched for people amid wildfire ash, along steep muddy banks after floods, and beneath homes destroyed by tornadoes. — Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026 The state is pre-positioning more than 4 million sandbags, more than 50,000 feet of portable flood barriers and 400,000 tons of rock to repair levees. — Adrian Florido, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026
Verb
The grand staircase was covered in 6 inches of ice and the basement was flooded with 4 feet of water. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 By holding water on the land, these peatlands not only reduce the risk of flooding downstream, but also buffer the landscape against drought, keeping soils moist and supporting nearby forests through dry spells. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for flood
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flood
  1. torrent
  2. engulf
  3. overwhelm
  4. drown
  5. submerge
  6. deluge
Noun
  • And various gamma-ray observatories in orbit were saturated and blinded by the torrent of incoming radiation.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Following testimony from Meta staff who downloaded torrents, the order could expose a wider range of supervisors, managers, and executives whom staffers said greenlit the piracy.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of torrent
Verb
  • The protest movement has added to a sense of uncertainty and crisis engulfing France six months ahead of a presidential election that could usher in the first far-right government since World War II, led by Le Pen’s National Rally.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026
  • These poignant and revealing journals cover the years after the financial disaster that engulfed Scott.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of engulf
Verb
  • Resilient people experience life’s typical ups and downs, but their senses don’t overwhelm them.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Swain settled in this preseason, showing an improved progression in his decision making when he was not overwhelmed by on-ball duties.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of overwhelm
Verb
  • The guy went right to shore, the wife drowned while paddling around looking for him.
    — George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • However, after Mitt drowns himself in the midst of a terminal illness, Jay goes diving in search of his father’s remains.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of drown
Verb
  • After submerging himself, Jay gets entangled in the tentacles of a giant squid, and that’s when the whale, who feeds on squid, pulls both Jay and the squid into his oversize gaping mouth.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Halfway through, Brill pulls out a machine that fills the stage with foam, submerging the actors in a cumulus of bubbles.
    — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of submerge
Verb
  • Wide swaths of the Southwest were deluged Sunday as the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel weakened and moved inland, but coastal communities already battered by high surf emerged with less damage than some officials feared.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Parts of the Desert Southwest could be deluged Wednesday as waves of robust monsoonal moisture lift into the region.
    — Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of deluge

Phrases Containing flood

Browse Nearby Words

flogs
flood
flooded
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flood.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flood. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on flood

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about flood

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All