avalanche 1 of 2

noun

Definition of avalanchenext
1
as in landslide
a large mass especially of snow, ice, dirt, or rocks descending from a high place Much of the mountainside was covered by the avalanche.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in influx
a sudden large amount of something that overwhelms After the disaster, the town received an avalanche of letters and donations from supporters and well-wishers.

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

avalanche

2 of 2

verb

as in to fall
to fall down in a large mass The snow avalanched down the mountainside.

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 avalanche
Noun
The settlement comes as social media companies face an avalanche of lawsuits over children’s safety and privacy and a growing number of countries are banning young kids and teens from social media apps. — Barbara Ortutay, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026 This avalanche of research followed a now-infamous 1998 study published by a British gastroenterologist named Andrew Wakefield in the journal the Lancet. — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Verb
James and the Lakers were getting avalanched, but a run to undo a 17-point deficit got them to within a point before the Memphis Grizzlies smothered them with a barrage of baskets. — Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2023 That a bunch of boys will insincerely avalanche into girls sports in order to gain some competitive advantage, to slake some hearty thirst for winning? — Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Feb. 2022 See All Example Sentences for avalanche
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avalanche
  1. landslide
  2. influx
  3. fall
  4. flood
  5. overflow
  6. skid
  7. slide
  8. deluge
Noun
  • The latest landslide created a new blockage in the river and formed another barrier lake, authorities said.
    — Bhadra Sharma, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Rice terraces along riverside had experienced landslides, dropping parts of their field into the river.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of landslide
Noun
  • The high-pressure oppression will temporarily come to an end thanks to an influx of moisture that will help temperatures fall back to average, if not below, for the final days of August and the start of September.
    — Tevian Whitehurst, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Much of this heat and humidity stemmed from remnants of a tropical storm building along the Gulf of California and the eastern Pacific, pushing an influx of moisture northward into Southern California.
    — Noe Padilla, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of influx
Verb
  • The continent's sweltering summer has meanwhile boosted demand for air conditioning and other energy-hungry appliances at a time when demand for gas, widely used for Europe's heating and cooking needs, naturally falls.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The Oscar winner paired a leopard-print Givenchy fall 2026 dress and the fashion house’s modern take on T-strap high heels.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of fall
Noun
  • Flood warning notices were sent to people's phones throughout Sunday morning, as rescue crews worked to clear a major highway connecting Kathmandu to one of the areas worst-hit by Wednesday's catasrophic floods.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Many of the tracks featured on the project are also declining, which is common after a blockbuster album floods the rankings with new hits.
    — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of flood
Noun
  • Allies packed the board’s meeting room at the school’s downtown Fort Lauderdale campus, with many settling for seating in an overflow room.
    — Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2026
  • In the spring, when the snow is melting and the springs that are high up in the rock cliffs some miles away are carrying it down full speed, the ditches overflow as does the little creek that runs near my cabin.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of overflow
Verb
  • That chase ends with a semitruck pulling a tank of liquid nitrogen overturning and skidding into an active steel mill, spilling liquid nitrogen all over the street.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Suddenly, her back wheel slipped, and she was thrown off, skidding across the road before a car towing a trailer ran over her.
    — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of skid
Noun
  • At one point, Musashi slips on mud and slides headfirst through a crowd of Samurai.
    — Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Across the playground, Star climbed to the top of a slide, then got too scared to come down.
    — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of slide
Noun
  • Dramatic video showed the rescue of one such person as authorities from Nepal worked to drag the man out of the mud deluge.
    — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • On the Chinese side of the border, in the autonomous region of Tibet, the deluge overwhelmed Gyirong Port, a major border crossing with Nepal that, in scenes reminiscent of a disaster movie, appears to have been completely washed away.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of deluge

Browse Nearby Words

avails
avalanche
avalanched
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Avalanche.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avalanche. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on avalanche

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about avalanche

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All