avalanches 1 of 2

noun

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

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2
as in influxes
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.

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avalanches

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of avalanche
as in tumbles
to fall down in a large mass The snow avalanched down the mountainside.

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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 avalanches
Noun
The broader Langtang region was also hit by devastating avalanches during Nepal’s 2015 earthquake. — Sibi Arasu, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026 The warmer temperatures are melting and thus destabilizing many of the 60,000 glaciers there, triggering these kinds of avalanches. — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026 Mountaineering accidents are common in northern Pakistan, where climbers face hazards including avalanches, falling ice and rock, extreme altitude and rapidly changing weather. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026 Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches. — Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026 Analysis of past avalanche accidents has indicated that larger group sizes (4 or more people) have higher chances of being caught in avalanches. — Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026 Europe has been hit by a string of avalanches this winter. — CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026 More than 40 backcountry explorers saw avalanches on various Colorado mountain ranges between Friday and Sunday, according to field reports submitted to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
Few things bridge South Florida cultures better than the mango, the juicy-sticky-sweet tropical tree fruit that avalanches our backyards all summer long. — Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for avalanches
  1. landslides
  2. influxes
  3. tumbles
  4. floods
  5. overflows
  6. skids
  7. slides
  8. torrents
Noun
  • The debris created by the various landslides have also blocked nine hydropower tunnels in Nepal's Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, trapping 933 workers from Nepal, South Korea and China.
    — Mamita Bhandari, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The number of people confirmed killed after propulsive landslides tore through the Nepal-China border on Wednesday now exceeds 900.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of landslides
Noun
  • The goal is to complete water releases by 2051, but the ongoing influxes of rainwater and groundwater continue to create new contamination.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 24 Aug. 2026
  • But the study also found that huge influxes of money seldom led to a fundamental change in a winner’s mental state.
    — Nancy A. Youssef, The Atlantic, 17 June 2026
Definition of influxes
Verb
  • From trashing bedrooms and throwing couches, the pair tumbles down stairs and has a chase across the lawn before ending up in the pool.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Front load washers are built with a horizontal drum that tumbles the clothes in each cycle.
    — Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of tumbles
Noun
  • At least 165 people have been killed, and hundreds more are missing after catastrophic floods swept through towns and valleys along the border between Nepal and China's Tibet region.
    — Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026
  • And in other spots in Florida, like the Keys and Tampa Bay, residents are choosing to elevate their existing homes several feet to keep them safe from floods.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of floods
Noun
  • Weeks after overflows from Atlanta’s sewer tunnels contributed to the deaths of thousands of fish on the Chattahoochee River, the city’s Department of Watershed Management says its investigating another fish kill on a different river.
    — Drew Kann, AJC.com, 1 July 2026
  • As Connecticut’s climate changes, more frequent and intense storms have lead to more overflows.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 25 June 2026
Definition of overflows
Verb
  • The former is a ring on the bottom of the rock that skids across the ice, and the latter is a band around the sides of the rock that collides with other rocks (ideally knocking an opponent’s rock off the bull’s-eye or nudging your team’s closer to it).
    — Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Cargo plane skids off runway in Hong Kong An Emirates Boeing 747 cargo plane skidded off the runway after arriving at Hong Kong International Airport and landed in the sea, according to airport authority.
    — Clara McMichael, ABC News, 19 Oct. 2025
Definition of skids
Noun
  • Teachers can now open an article, document, chart or webpage, and Diffit can turn it into handouts, slides, graphic organizers, station activities, practice sets, assessments or substitute plans.
    — Dan Fitzpatrick, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Cox seems to be smartly wearing supportive slides in her kitchen video, which not only enhanced her outfit but also supported her feet.
    — Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of slides
Noun
  • The rocks and melted water suddenly swelled the rivers in the valleys below, causing torrents of water that swept buildings, bridges and earth downstream in Tibet and Nepal.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Footage shows torrents of mud and debris sweeping through settlements and carrying buildings and vehicles with them.
    — Milad Haghani, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of torrents

Browse Nearby Words

avalanched
avalanches
avalanching
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Cite this Entry

“Avalanches.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avalanches. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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