overflow
verb
over·flow
| \ ËĆ-vÉr-ËflĆ
\
\
overflowed;
overflowing;
overflows
Definition of overflow
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to cover with or as if with water : inundate
2
: to flow over the brim of
3
: to cause to overflow
1
: to flow over bounds
2
: to fill a space to capacity and spread beyond its limits
the crowd overflowed into the street
overflow
noun
over·flow
| \ ËĆ-vÉr-ËflĆ
\
\
Definition of overflow (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: a flowing over : inundation
2
: something that flows over : surplus
3
: an outlet or receptacle for surplus liquid
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Synonyms & Antonyms for overflow
Synonyms: Verb
Synonyms: Noun
alluvion, bath, cataclysm, cataract, deluge, flood, flood tide, inundation, Niagara, spate, torrent
Antonyms: Noun
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Examples of overflow in a Sentence
Verb
The river overflowed its banks. The creek overflows every spring. The water in the tub overflowed. Books and papers overflowed his desk. The paragraph overflowed the page.Noun
a great overflow of water from the heavy rains swept mud and silt down onto the highway an overflow of help actually made the job more complicated
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The Chicago Law Department has averaged more than nine months to notify property owners about sanitation violations such as overflowing garbage cans or uncut weeds, the city inspector general found. — John Byrne, chicagotribune.com, "Watchdog: City averaged nearly a year to send out citations for overflowing trash, other sanitation violations," 4 Sep. 2019 Every flickering traffic light, every barreling train or overflowing bathtub spells looming trouble. — Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Waves': Film Review | Telluride 2019," 31 Aug. 2019 After decades of abuse, the vessel lists to port, but its sewer pipes drain to starboard, jamming and overflowing toilets. — Author: Richard Read, Anchorage Daily News, "Meet the icebreaker Polar Star, the neglected stepchild of the U.S. military industrial complex," 17 Aug. 2019 People were no more careful with their domestic garbage, dumping it anywhere in the proximity of overflowing dumpsters, which were rarely emptied. — Raghuram Rajan, Quartz India, "How Indians cleaned up one of their dirtiest citiesâand have kept it that way," 12 Aug. 2019 Take this yearâs Midwest flooding, an historic season of rain and overflowing rivers that has impacted more than 200 million people in 25 states. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "How federal flood policy is, and isnât, addressing climate change today," 29 July 2019 The problem of the poor conditions and overflowing detention centers rests clearly on their shoulders. — Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, "Letters: Rounding up geese from parks â cruel or beneficial? (7/7/19)," 7 July 2019 The overflowing waste then spills downhill toward Base Camp and even communities below the mountain. — Fox News, "Mount Everest has become an âopen toilet,â staggering amount of human waste found on its slopes," 24 June 2019 At first glance, John Watersâ New York apartment is almost shockingly normal: comfortably worn sofa, overflowing bookshelves. — Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, "John Waters on his new book, Brad Pitt, and why he hates MDMA," 14 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Both the promoter and the band have promised that people who purchased tickets to one or more of the shows will be notified of nearby overflow parking and shuttles before the Aug. 30 kick-off show. — John Wenzel, The Know, "Prairie dogs, parking and the plague: What you need to know before seeing Phish in Denver this weekend," 28 Aug. 2019 For the hardy souls who insist on driving, the casino has 3,000 underground parking spaces ($22 for 6 hours, $42 for 24 hours), and there is overflow parking at several locations nearby. — Joshua Miller, BostonGlobe.com, "Encore Boston Harbor casino is hours from opening," 23 June 2019 Each site is pet-friendly and allows a maximum of six people and one vehicle, with an overflow parking lot for extra cars. — Kellie Hwang, Indianapolis Star, "10 of the best campgrounds within a few hours of Indianapolis," 21 June 2019 The Environmental Integrity Projectâs report said sewage overflows from Harrisburg pipes into the Susquehanna totaled 1.4 billion gallons last year, up from 789 million gallons in 2016. — Scott Dance, baltimoresun.com, "Itâs not just Baltimore: Another city is sending much more sewage into the Chesapeake Bay, report says," 22 Aug. 2019 The swim portion of event had been in doubt earlier in the week because of concerns about water quality following a sewage overflow Tuesday and rough-water conditions Friday canceled a 750-meter swim event. — cleveland.com, "2019 USA Triathlon Age Group Championships: Justin Lippert repeats, Rachel Mensch wins (photos)," 10 Aug. 2019 View this post on Instagram Words truly canât describe the overflow of love, tears and laughter that was shared on this beautiful, rainy day in Palm Springs. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Who Is Demi's Girlfriend Kristian Haggerty From 'Bachelor In Paradise'?," 19 July 2019 Heavy rain inundates the pipes, causing overflows of millions of gallons of stormwater laced with sewage. — Scott Dance, baltimoresun.com, "Sampling initiative in Baltimore's Inner Harbor aims to answer the question, 'How's the water, hon?'," 25 June 2019 In April, the distillery failed to turn off a pump that was transferring wastewater, resulting in the overflow of a holding tank into a nearby tributary. — Benjamin Tobin, The Courier-Journal, "It's been a year since Kentucky's huge bourbon barrel spill. What's changed?," 21 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'overflow.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for overflow
overflow
verb
English Language Learners Definition of overflow
(Entry 1 of 2)
: to flow over the edge or top of (something)
: to fill or cover (something) completely
: to be completely filled with something : to be so filled that there is not enough room for anything or anyone more
overflow
noun
English Language Learners Definition of overflow (Entry 2 of 2)
: an act of flowing over the edge or top of something
: the amount of something that flows over the edge or top of something else
: the number of people or things that goes over a limit
See the full definition for overflow in the English Language Learners Dictionary