1
as in flood
a great flow of water or of something that overwhelms
a great overflow of water from the heavy rains swept mud and silt down onto the highway
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in surplus
the state or an instance of going beyond what is usual, proper, or needed
an overflow of help actually made the job more complicated
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to engulf
to cover with a flood
the swollen river overflowed the surrounding land and washed several houses away
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of overflow
Natalie Bennett, NBC news, 23 Aug. 2025
What’s more, Doucette’s machine belonged to a class of machines known as shift overflow counters, which achieve long runtimes using a very different mechanism than Kropitz’s champion.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 22 Aug. 2025
Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2025
Memorabilia Southerners love our momentos and heirlooms—sometimes to the point where our homes are overflowing with them.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overflow
Noun
Crystal chandeliers, plush bedding and monogrammed pillows overflow in the small spaces.
—Natalie Bennett, NBC news, 23 Aug. 2025
What’s more, Doucette’s machine belonged to a class of machines known as shift overflow counters, which achieve long runtimes using a very different mechanism than Kropitz’s champion.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 22 Aug. 2025
Verb
For all the changes, Brilliant Lady remains unabashedly a Virgin Voyages ship, one that seems to overflow with bars and music venues.
—Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2025
Memorabilia Southerners love our momentos and heirlooms—sometimes to the point where our homes are overflowing with them.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overflow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overflow
Noun
-
Among the schools was TCU, whose players and coaches also wore green ribbons on their lapels at Big 12 Media Days back in July, less than a week after the flood.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Sep. 2025
-
On Tuesday, 85 scientists released a 459-page rebuttal to the DOE report, highlighting a large body of scientific literature pointing to how climate change can exacerbate droughts, floods, crop failures, and other disasters.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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He is credited with the key leadership role in creating Palm Springs’ Measure J, a 1% sales tax increase that helped to fund a $200 million downtown revitalization program and providing a surplus of $12 million per year to rebuild the city’s infrastructure.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The bigger risk is OPEC+ deciding to reinstate supply cuts, given concerns about a surplus.—
Ruxandra Iordache,
CNBC,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This could be the result of an unexpected revelation or a gossip-y friend spilling the tea, but shocking information is headed your way.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
6 Sep. 2025
-
This fight will likely spill into the 2028 election cycle and beyond — in other words, perpetual political trench warfare.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Aamir Quereshi imaged the moon moments before it was engulfed in Earth's shadow over Pakistan, with a razor-thin crescent lit by bright sunlight.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Burmese pythons, which can engulf an entire Presidential golfing party simply by unhinging their (the pythons’) jaws, inhabit the environs of the Gulf of Mexico, and have even been seen swimming offshore.—
Ian Frazier,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Drue Tranquill, a linebacker, not a defensive lineman, burst through the line on a blitz for two sacks in the second half.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
-
So many balls burst through my hands.—
James Wallace,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Flash floods are usually characterized by raging torrents after heavy rains.—
AZCentral.com,
AZCentral.com,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Eight hours of work yield only eight hours of data, a trickle against the torrent that powered language models.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The ruling landed as a symbolic rebuke of Musk’s sway over Tesla, and a warning about the excesses of Silicon Valley’s cult-of-founder ethos.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
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An excess of dry fuels and vegetation is compounded by fire weather conditions that are becoming more common year-round.—
John Leos,
AZCentral.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
By law, the sewerage district can't overfill the Deep Tunnel, so by early Sunday morning, the district had to initiate a rare sanitary sewer overflow.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
22 Aug. 2025
-
Just be sure to wash towels according to color and never overfill the machine.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
6 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overflow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overflow. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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