OVERFLOWS Synonyms: 117 Similar and Opposite Words

overflows 1 of 2

noun

plural of overflow

as in floods

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

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in surpluses

the state or an instance of going beyond what is usual, proper, or needed an overflow of help actually made the job more complicated

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overflows

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of overflow

as in spills

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

recedes

as in engulfs

to cover with a flood the swollen river overflowed the surrounding land and washed several houses away

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as in bursts

to be copiously supplied a magazine that usually overflows with home-repair tips for the do-it-yourselfer

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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 overflows

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 The contamination, according to the organization, is often caused by sewage overflows, waste from large-scale farming, and urban runoff. — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 25 June 2026 Researchers believe periodic flooding and river overflows helped preserve the eggs by covering them in sediment millions of years ago. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026 As long as the 83/17 split remains in place, protecting local waterways from combined sewer overflows will continue to exacerbate the water affordability crisis in Detroit. — Nicole Van Lier, The Conversation, 13 May 2026 That can allow attackers to leverage serious vulnerabilities like buffer overflows and memory leaks to compromise devices. — Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 13 Apr. 2026 And in places where sewage and rain flow through the same pipes, heavy rains made worse by climate change can make overflows to waterways more frequent and severe. — ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026 The overflows have triggered a number of recreational and shellfish harvesting advisories along the Potomac. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 22 Feb. 2026

Verb

Claudia Rankine’s new book overflows with grief for the backlash to racial progress, but history isn’t finished. — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026 Choose Camps Bay Beach for a party scene along a promenade that overflows with shops and bars, or take a stroll to Clifton, a more secluded beach partitioned into four sections by giant rocks. — Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Aug. 2026 It's believed the debris washed ashore following recent heavy rainfall and sewer overflows, according to local reports citing the NJDEP. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026 These overflows may send stormwater mixed with untreated or partially treated sewage into waterways. — Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026 But the film overflows with childlike wonder, a comic-strip dream of girls next door and nerdy weirdoes growing muscles with puberty. — Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Aug. 2026 Apart from animal experiences, this seasonal outdoor water park overflows with plenty of rides, slides, rivers, and swimming areas like the Big Surf Shores wave pool or the Walhalla Wave tube ride. — Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 31 July 2026 While the city overflows with social events, navigating its defining food and drink moments can feel chaotic. — Rachel Dube, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 America’s largest indoor/outdoor water park overflows with eight water parks (four indoor, four outdoor), ziplines, minigolf, laser tag, go-karts, a spa, golf course, and more. — Alicia Underlee Nelson, Midwest Living, 15 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for overflows

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

In theory, governments are supposed to balance out deficits in bad times with surpluses in good times.

— Editorial Board, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2026
Both post test scores far below the state average, and the funding formula leaves Hartford’s own school district starved while CREC thrives with surpluses.

— State Rep Maryam Khan, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of surpluses

Verb

The city feels theatrical and alive, with open-air theaters, cinemas, and a vibrant arts scene that spills into its streets.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026
An easy filler that spills romantically over pathways, pollinator-friendly calamint blooms in a cloud of white from midsummer until the first hard frost.

— Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of spills

Verb

And yet, in Yoon’s hands, a character’s suffering never overwhelms their capacity for tenderness.

— Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
One person has died and rescues are underway as catastrophic flooding overwhelms the Hill Country, a little more than a year after the July 4 floods killed more than 130 people in Central Texas.

— Mary Ella Hastings July 16, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026

Definition of overwhelms

Verb

Things quickly take a terrifying turn during surgery when a scorpion tail suddenly bursts through Perry’s back, attacking one of the surgeons mid-operation.

— Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
Haaland bursts our bubble almost immediately by scoring in the opening five minutes, and Burnley miss a few good first-half chances, with striker Zian Flemming particularly culpable.

— Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026

Definition of bursts

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

Noun

Across the 10 seasons PSR was in operation from 2015-16 onwards, our calculations turned up 40 separate instances of SCR excesses.

— Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Historical legacy is not destiny, and Russia’s excesses cannot be blamed solely on its ties to the political culture of the steppes.

— Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of excesses

Verb

Stand-Up Paddleboarding at Lakeside Marina Jessica Verne The alarm buzzes early on our second full day in South Lake Tahoe.

— Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
The kitchen buzzes as volunteers carry in trays of Creole dishes and barbecue while one of the sisters stirs a large cooler of lemon margaritas.

— Windsor Johnston, NPR, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of buzzes

Browse Nearby Words

overflowing

overflows

overfull

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

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Synonyms of overflows

noun

verb

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