OVERFLOWING Synonyms: 112 Similar and Opposite Words

overflowing 1 of 2

adjective

as in teeming

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Dissimilar Words

as in overloaded

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

overflowing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of overflow

as in spilling

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

receding

as in flooding

to cover with a flood the swollen river overflowed the surrounding land and washed several houses away

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in bursting

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 overflowing

Adjective

Authorities warn of potential secondary floods due to an overflowing lake in the area where the first glacier collapsed. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026 One of Cash’s interests, carried over from Earth Angel, her 2023 debut book of short stories, is an overflowing index of animal references. — Niela Orr, Vulture, 13 Jan. 2026 And Zermatt itself also has pockets of traditional charm, with streets lined with chalet after chalet and overflowing flower boxes. — Rick Steves, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026 JPMorgan has even needed to lease additional space to facilitate staffers’ return, renting several floors in the former Credit Suisse office close to the US lender’s overflowing European headquarters. — Jack Sidders, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2025 So there Wilson went toward the overflowing Aces’ bench. — Ben Pickman, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025 The more unexpected takeaway was the show's graphic depiction of an overflowing toilet as the climax of the episode, which was set on Thanksgiving Day. — Carson Blackwelder, People.com, 26 Aug. 2025 In the suburban village of Wauwatosa, an overflowing and fast-moving Menomonee River submerged a popular playground. — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2025

Verb

Add a guest list overflowing with Hollywood crème de la crème to the mix and that magic is amplified tenfold. — Kelsey Stewart, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2026 There’s the ever-growing collection of vinyl and books overflowing from the lobby lounge’s shelves. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026 Several communities were cut off by landslides and overflowing rivers elsewhere in Baja California. — CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 Cut Out Clutter Imagine a pile of junk mail on your dining room table or a nightstand overflowing with a week’s worth of water glasses. — Megan McCarty, The Spruce, 12 Oct. 2026 And the Rio Grande that ran dry through a long stretch of the state was overflowing. — Mead Gruver, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026 There are plastic boxes overflowing with personal protective equipment, televisions cued to videos and architectural renderings, and a mini fridge full of refreshments. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2026 Luckily, Amazon is overflowing with practical, yet posh sets that scream quiet luxury. — Alyssa Morin, InStyle, 25 Sep. 2026 Photos show immigrants at Miramar sleeping in cots in rows on the floor, portable toilets with urinals overflowing with brown water and paper, and human feces outside the doors. — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for overflowing

Adjective

The new findings are confounding scientists’ expectations, raising questions about how exactly molecules can encounter their reactive partners in a teeming, crowded space — and therefore how cells can possibly function.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 18 Feb. 2026

Definition of teeming

Adjective

Tragedy near Puerto Rico The interception from Haiti comes just over a week after an overloaded boat capsized off a small islet between Hispaniola, the island Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico with 62 people on board.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
If a process works perfectly only as long as one particular manager is available, what happens when that person takes time off, changes roles or becomes overloaded?

— Michael Goshka, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of overloaded

Verb

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
The latest spike in fuel prices is harder to stomach than the one earlier this year as businesses and consumers have less capacity to absorb the shock, while fresh price data show inflation is spilling over beyond energy.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of spilling

Verb

In the brain, for example, elevated stress hormones can impair learning and memory by flooding the hippocampus with excitatory chemical signals.

— Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 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, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of flooding

Verb

And every few months, a bursting FedEx envelope from Baltimore would appear at my desk at PRH containing Professor Dixon’s typewritten chunks of new and unpublished writing.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026
People are herby, people are lemony, people are mustardy, bursting at the taste buds with umami.

— Raven Smith, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of bursting

Adjective

Congress weighs competing proposals Anthropic’s draft enters a crowded legislative debate over how the United States should regulate frontier AI.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Ofelia Montes de Oca, a 56-year-old resident who has lived in Pinecrest for 40 years, was among those in the crowded cafe.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of crowded

Adjective

The boxes allegedly cost substantially less to produce, allowing the conspirators to use the inflated prices to finance bribes and divert government funds.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
As a result, conventional estimates produced inflated efficiency values that failed to reflect actual device behavior under operating conditions.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of inflated

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overflowing

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

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Synonyms of overflowing

adjective

verb

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