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

This results in a fade out of the initial hype surrounding LLMs, as the market is overflowing with similar models that can all essentially do the same things just as well. —Kirimgeray Kirimli, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024

Cleaning the gutters will remove the clog and prevent rain or meltwater from overflowing. —Timothy Dale, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Oct. 2024

Noun

Yes, but: The great tech research labs of the past — like Xerox PARC and Bell Labs — were funded by an overflow of corporate profits from real businesses. —Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 9 Sep. 2024

The Earth’s shadow takes a little nibble from the big cookie of the Full Moon in your sign, blocking some of the emotional overflow associated with this phase of the lunar cycle. —Jennifer Culp, Them, 16 Aug. 2024

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