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
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Relevance
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
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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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of overflow
PCMAG, 12 Dec. 2024
The building, once home to Susan Leach School 68 on the east side at 2107 N. Riley Ave., will open Dec. 15 as an overflow shelter as part of the city's Winter Contingency Plan, according to a city press release.
—Jordan Smith, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Dec. 2024
Isabel Garcia, People.com, 10 Jan. 2025
Pasadena Humane was already overflowing with large dogs, and has been seeking fosters who can take them in temporarily to free up space.
—Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for overflow 
Noun
Click the overflow menu to access layout options, a picture-in-picture view, and visual effects.
—PCMAG, 12 Dec. 2024
The building, once home to Susan Leach School 68 on the east side at 2107 N. Riley Ave., will open Dec. 15 as an overflow shelter as part of the city's Winter Contingency Plan, according to a city press release.
—Jordan Smith, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
The site’s fashion category is overflowing with more than 4,000 winter fashion arrivals.
—Isabel Garcia, People.com, 10 Jan. 2025
Pasadena Humane was already overflowing with large dogs, and has been seeking fosters who can take them in temporarily to free up space.
—Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for overflow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overflow
Noun
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Even if something really negative marred an executive’s reputation, it was often forgotten by the next news cycle, when a flood of new stories drew focus away from the damaging report.Chad Angle, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
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Galton knew the South Toe’s long history of devastating floods.USA TODAY Graphics team, USA TODAY, 31 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Companies will have to tackle the challenge of managing production surpluses, seeking to avoid excess inventory while more effectively meeting market demand.Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 2 Jan. 2025
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The tradition reportedly began in Spain in the late 1800s, possibly as a way to use up a surplus of grapes harvested that year.Brandi D. Addison, The Arizona Republic, 31 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The words spilled from my mind to my fingers and into the pages of this book.Lizz Schumer, People.com, 1 Jan. 2025
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As a corrido played in the background, Panfilo Maldonado and Juan Aleman worked silently, efficiently, opening boxes, spilling bundles over a long table, stripping out the cellophane.Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Now that social media has engulfed culture, pop songs are teased as snippets, mined for the briefest hooks and effects, choreographed for vertical screens and pitched as the latest plot twist in a performer’s continuing, open-ended reality series, otherwise known as a career.Jon Pareles, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2024
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With the star ready to explode into life — and threatening to engulf the Earth in the process — Joy grabs the briefcase and absorbs the seed into herself.Richard Edwards, Space.com, 25 Dec. 2024
Verb
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An intellectually dense film bursting with ideas, some of them contradictory, some troubling, all of them provocative.Damon Wise, Deadline, 31 Dec. 2024
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In New Zealand, fireworks burst from the Sky Tower in the capital of Auckland.Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 31 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Technology mogul Elon Musk has been using his X social media platform in recent weeks to unleash a torrent of criticisms and accusations aimed at political figures in Britain, Germany and Canada.Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 7 Jan. 2025
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Mandatory overtime to send surges of unhappy and ill-prepared cops underground hasn’t restored confidence in public safety, even as investigators are now probing how Friends of Eric benefitted from the OT torrent.Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 4 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The same things happened during the early days of the Macri administration, where the excesses of the Kirchner era were quickly investigated, and several high profile officials including former vice president Amado Boudou and Julio De Vido, Public Works Secretary, were arrested in demeaning ways.Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
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The experience of that disaster and others has led to per-event deductibles (or excess) rising from 100 million euros to 400 million euros today.Ganesh Rao, CNBC, 12 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The pair left with a space heater and a bag overfilled with scrap metal.Raja Abdulrahim, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2024
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However, these measurements aren't always the rule for others, and glasses are often overfilled at restaurants, bars, and homes all too often, according to De Lavallade.Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near overflow
Cite this Entry
“Overflow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overflow. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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