flood 1 of 2

noun

ˈfləd How to pronounce flood (audio)
Definition of floodnext
as in torrent
a great flow of water or of something that overwhelms a flood nearly wiped out the town a flood of messages on my computer

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

flood

2 of 2

verb

as in to engulf
to cover with a flood the lowlands were completely flooded angry calls flooded the radio station

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 flood
Noun
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 The pair are among more than 930 workers unaccounted for at various hydropower projects in the country’s flood zone. — Bhadra Sharma, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Verb
The city later vowed to make emergency repairs to restore power and clean up buildings flooded with sewage. — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026 The first flooding rain threat began Sunday afternoon and continued overnight into Monday, with the heaviest rainfall tracking through Pennsylvania and New York State into New Jersey and New York City overnight. — Tyler Ory, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for flood
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flood
  1. torrent
  2. engulf
  3. overwhelm
  4. drown
  5. submerge
  6. deluge
Noun
  • Rescue teams and military helicopters searched Thursday for hundreds of missing people along the Nepal-China border, where a deadly torrent of water and mud several stories high swept through communities a day earlier following a glacier collapse.
    — Shristi Kafle, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Shortly after their border crossing Wednesday, a towering torrent of water, rock and mud tore through the same Himalayan corridor.
    — Laura Saravia, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of torrent
Verb
  • Gunshots followed by an inferno Police responded to the home on Sunday evening and heard gunshots coming from out back, just before the house was completely engulfed in flames.
    — Matthew Brown, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Police responded to the home on Sunday evening and heard gunshots coming from out back, just before the house was completely engulfed in flames.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of engulf
Verb
  • Ukraine has been firing hundreds of drones at Russia almost nightly, hoping to overwhelm air defenses.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • My mother was never one for parting phrases, mainly because she was overwhelmed by a form of timidity that verged on self-erasure.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of overwhelm
Verb
  • Deputies riding Sea-Doos on July 18 rescued three swimmers not wearing life jackets who were close to drowning on Petite Lake in unincorporated Lake Villa.
    — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The turbine room could have filled with water if the emergency shutdown systems failed, potentially drowning anyone inside.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of drown
Verb
  • In Nepal, images showed roads buried beneath thick layers of mud, homes partially submerged and survivors being carried or transported to safer areas.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
  • In the affected areas, houses, trees and vehicles were seen submerged or buried in mudslides.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of submerge
Verb
  • Social media, and frankly, corporate news media are designed to deluge us with bad news.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Disaster can strike in regions unaccustomed to their fury, as North Carolinians in the western end of the state painfully learned in 2024 as Hurricane Helene deluged the region.
    — Jamie Gold, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of deluge

Phrases Containing flood

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flogs
flood
flooded
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Cite this Entry

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on flood

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about flood

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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