overflow

1 of 2

verb

over·​flow ˌō-vər-ˈflō 

overflowed; overflowing; overflows

transitive verb

1

: to cover with or as if with water : inundate

2

: to flow over the brim of

3

: to cause to overflow

intransitive verb

1

: to flow over bounds

2

: to fill a space to capacity and spread beyond its limits

the crowd overflowed into the street

overflow

2 of 2

noun

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

Verb

• overfill

Noun

• alluvion
• bath
• cataclysm
• cataract
• deluge
• flood
• flood tide
• inundation
• Niagara
• spate
• torrent

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

Verb

Hot Springs is overflowing with scenic views and unique activities. —Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 18 Feb. 2025

Frankly, there were too many celebrity appearances to name in one article, considering the audience was overflowing with former Saturday Night Live superstars and other Hollywood A-listers. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 17 Feb. 2025

Noun

Dias and others from CEA were in Washington, D.C., and watched the hearing from the overflow room before attending the press conference with Murphy, former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and a number of parents and educators who voiced concerns about McMahon. —Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 14 Feb. 2025

At President Trump’s inauguration, Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, was relegated to the overflow room while other tech billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg took prime spots on the dais under the Capitol rotunda. —Cecilia Kang, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1568, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids 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 

1

: a flowing over : flood

2

: something that flows over : surplus

3

: an outlet or container for liquid that overflows

Medical Definition

overflow

noun

over·​flow ˈō-vər-ˌflō 

: an excessive flow or amount