over·flow
ˌō-vər-ˈflō 
overflowed; overflowing; overflows
1
: to cover with or as if with water : inundate
2
: to flow over the brim of
3
: to cause to overflow
1
: to flow over bounds
2
: to fill a space to capacity and spread beyond its limits
the crowd overflowed into the street
over·flow
ˈō-vər-ˌflō
1
: a flowing over : inundation
2
: something that flows over : surplus
3
: an outlet or receptacle for surplus liquid
Synonyms
Examples of overflow in a Sentence
Verb
The river overflowed its banks.
The creek overflows every spring.
The water in the tub overflowed.
Books and papers overflowed his desk.
The paragraph overflowed the page.
Noun
a great overflow of water from the heavy rains swept mud and silt down onto the highway
an overflow of help actually made the job more complicated
Recent Examples on the Web
Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024
In Muleshoe, about 60 miles to the west and with a population of about 5,000, hackers caused the water system to overflow before it was shut down and taken over manually by officials, city manager Ramon Sanchez told CNN.
—Ken Miller, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
The world is overflowing with climate change news, global warming headlines, and ocean pollution warnings, and many people seek eco-friendly alternatives.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
The city manager for Muleshoe, Ramon Sanchez, reportedly said in a public meeting that the attack on the town’s utility had resulted in one water tank overflowing.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
Waves of refugees are overflowing the country’s borders.
—Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2024
Chappell Roan hadn’t yet hit the stage and the Gobi tent was already overflowing with gays and girlies.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, emergency rooms downstairs overflow with patients, nearly all of whom will be sent back on the streets.
—Alex Barnard, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
The Seine overflows its banks after heavy rainfall in Paris last week.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024
Ali Faccenda, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Apr. 2024
Doing so has meant vastly altering Paris’ sewage system, including a 13 million-gallon overflow tank called the Austerlitz Basin.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024
Residents can sign up for alerts to learn when overflows are happening by texting WATERDROP to 414-296-4422.
—Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2024
Guests took advantage of a red carpet complete with a veteran Tinseltown photographer (Todd Williamson) while others waited in long lines simply to get into the Laemmle (an overflow theater was added to accommodate the number of RSVPs).
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
Cubbies installed underneath provide more storage for their shoes, while drawers were added at the end of the island to hold overflow items.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
To prevent that, overflow basins are being constructed in Gateway and Riverside Park.
—Luke Ranker, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2024
The overflow menu offers file compression, selection, and Properties options, as well as the old Folder Options dialog.
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
Scripps has said that the move is simply about handling the overflow of Mercy Chula Vista’s very-busy emergency department while also noting that its maternity unit in Hillcrest has run at less than its full capacity, leaving room for an influx of South Bay patients.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2024
Verb
This week, Amazon’s sale section is overflowing with impressive markdowns on wide-leg pants.
—Clara McMahon, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024
In Muleshoe, about 60 miles to the west and with a population of about 5,000, hackers caused the water system to overflow before it was shut down and taken over manually by officials, city manager Ramon Sanchez told CNN.
—Ken Miller, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
The world is overflowing with climate change news, global warming headlines, and ocean pollution warnings, and many people seek eco-friendly alternatives.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
The city manager for Muleshoe, Ramon Sanchez, reportedly said in a public meeting that the attack on the town’s utility had resulted in one water tank overflowing.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024
Waves of refugees are overflowing the country’s borders.
—Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2024
Chappell Roan hadn’t yet hit the stage and the Gobi tent was already overflowing with gays and girlies.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, emergency rooms downstairs overflow with patients, nearly all of whom will be sent back on the streets.
—Alex Barnard, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
The Seine overflows its banks after heavy rainfall in Paris last week.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024
Noun
This resulted in messy overflow (with dirt) on my floor—I’m thrilled not to have this problem anymore.
—Ali Faccenda, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Apr. 2024
Doing so has meant vastly altering Paris’ sewage system, including a 13 million-gallon overflow tank called the Austerlitz Basin.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2024
Residents can sign up for alerts to learn when overflows are happening by texting WATERDROP to 414-296-4422.
—Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2024
Guests took advantage of a red carpet complete with a veteran Tinseltown photographer (Todd Williamson) while others waited in long lines simply to get into the Laemmle (an overflow theater was added to accommodate the number of RSVPs).
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Apr. 2024
Cubbies installed underneath provide more storage for their shoes, while drawers were added at the end of the island to hold overflow items.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
To prevent that, overflow basins are being constructed in Gateway and Riverside Park.
—Luke Ranker, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Apr. 2024
The overflow menu offers file compression, selection, and Properties options, as well as the old Folder Options dialog.
—PCMAG, 22 Mar. 2024
Scripps has said that the move is simply about handling the overflow of Mercy Chula Vista’s very-busy emergency department while also noting that its maternity unit in Hillcrest has run at less than its full capacity, leaving room for an influx of South Bay patients.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overflow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near overflow
Cite this Entry
“Overflow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overflow. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
overflow
1 of 2 verb
over·flow
ˌō-vər-ˈflō
1
: to cover with or as if with water : inundate
2
: to flow over the brim or top of
the river overflowed its banks
3
: to flow over bounds
the creek overflows every spring
4
: to fill a space up and spread beyond its limits
the paragraph overflowed the page
overflow
2 of 2 noun
over·flow
ˈō-vər-ˌflō
Medical Definition
overflow
noun
over·flow
ˈō-vər-ˌflō
: an excessive flow or amount
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