overflow
verb
over·flow
| \ ˌō-vər-ˈflō
\
\
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
| \ ˈō-vər-ˌflō
\
\
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
In Obreht’s hands, this is an era that overflows with what the dead want, and with wants that lead to death. — Chanelle Benz, New York Times, "Téa Obreht Reinvents the Western Novel — and Brings Camels," 12 Aug. 2019 Parents must navigate crowded aisles, dig through overflowing bins and employ every negotiating skill to avoid meltdowns when that sought-after Spider Man lunchbox is nowhere to be found. — Author: Laura Daily, Anchorage Daily News, "How to save money during back-to-school mania this year," 11 Aug. 2019 The statement reported that this is the first sewage overflow of 2019 and noted that sewage overflows in Portland are increasingly rare because of investments in the city’s drainage system. — oregonlive.com, "Saturday was Portland’s second-rainiest day of the year, beat only by mid-January downpour," 11 Aug. 2019 The flood control district is also planning three maintenance projects in channels that typically overflow in Kingwood for just over $600,000. — Kaila Contreras, Houston Chronicle, "Humble seeks input on $2 million flood mitigation project in Northshire subdivision," 9 Aug. 2019 Gang warfare, overflowing sewage and protests mar the streets. — Allie Torgan, CNN, "Creating an oasis of hope in one of Haiti's most dangerous neighborhoods," 1 Aug. 2019 The special counsel’s staff wrote a 448-page tome, overflowing with details about a traitorous collusion plot that never happened and the obstruction of an investigation that was never actually impeded in the slightest. — Andrew C. Mccarthy, National Review, "How Mueller’s Lawyers Spun the OLC Guidance on Indicting a Sitting President," 28 July 2019 Only rarely now does Rautenberg bring out her tattered, overflowing scrapbooks of news clippings and black-and-white photos of big-band concerts, fancy banquets, beach frolics and life on the road. — Marc Ramirez, Dallas News, "At 91, Denton-raised big band vocalist is low key about the high life of her youth," 28 July 2019 Jackson always played with a competitive edge that overflowed. — Duane Rankin, azcentral, "Brutal 10-game stretch awaits Phoenix Suns in 2019-20 NBA regular season," 17 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The Environmental Integrity Project’s 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, "It’s 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 can’t 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 2019 That causes the runoff and sewage overflow that ultimately leads to potential contamination. — Julian Gill, Houston Chronicle, "Ranked: The top 10 Texas beaches with contaminated, potentially unsafe water," 24 July 2019 Sources of pollution at beaches include urban runoff, sewage overflow and failing septic systems, and concentrated livestock manure, according to the report. — Michelle Lou, CNN, "Beaches across America showed unsafe levels of pollution last year, a study finds," 23 July 2019 The primary sources of fecal contamination include urban runoff, sewage leaks and overflows and industrial-scale livestock operations. — Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al.com, "List of ‘dirty’ beaches due to fecal bacteria includes 10 in Alabama, Florida," 23 July 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