Definition of overflownext
1
as in to flood
to flow over the brim or top of while the wine steward stood there gawking at the nearby celebrity, my expensive champagne was overflowing its glass and pouring onto our table

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
as in to burst
to be copiously supplied a magazine that usually overflows with home-repair tips for the do-it-yourselfer

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 overflow
Noun
Minor tidal overflows, especially during the late morning high tides. — Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2026 Staff have set up a TV for overflow viewing just outside the courtroom. — Jen Guadarrama, IndyStar, 21 Sep. 2026
Verb
Buckets overflowed with conch and clams, and customers pointed to whole fish on ice to be cleaned and cut for dinner. — Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026 In western North Carolina, rivers overflowed as heavy rainfall raised the risk of flash and urban flooding. — Sophie Bates, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for overflow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overflow
Noun
  • The cemetery where her family members are buried is one of eight in the flood zone that will have to be exhumed.
    — Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Paraguay has seen the most evacuations from the recent floods.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Any business can be people-owned and operated, with surplus revenue going back to the customers and employees instead of to shareholders.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Menswear publications also began spotlighting military surplus liners as standalone jackets rather than removable insulation, and the style eventually expanded into designer collections and shopping guides.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • That, in turn, could spill over into broader financial markets, and areas such as banks' prime brokerage businesses, according to the IMF.
    — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Torrential rain has pushed all three waterways higher for days, spilling them over their banks in northeastern Argentina, southern Paraguay and western Uruguay.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
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
Verb
  • But on Monday, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan likened many of the investors drawn to the AI boom to gamblers and questioned the economics of AI labs as Wall Street debates whether the AI bubble will burst.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Seven months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, explosions burst through two Nord Stream gas pipelines – Russia’s controversial gas highway into Europe – in the waters between Sweden and Poland.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Videos posted on social media showed a torrent of water rushing through a street near the Las Vegas Strip, with a Ferris wheel and casinos in the background.
    — JAIMIE DING, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The torrent of money pouring out of the government, the central bank, and the private sector will make the AI bubble much bigger than any of its predecessors.
    — RUCHIR SHARMA, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Trump is right to want to tame inequality, scale back some of the excesses of globalization, and secure supply chains of critical goods.
    — Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026
  • In the 40 years since, every facet of Spacemen 3’s story has been turned over and generously embellished, resulting in an excess of grandeur and foresight projected onto the duo at the heart of it.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Raw shell eggs were overfilled in an insert tray and measured 55 degrees.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • On the other hand, overfilling the drum can strain the motor and reduce cleaning efficiency.
    — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Overflow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overflow. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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