deluge
Americannoun
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a great flood of water; inundation; flood.
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a drenching rain; downpour.
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anything that overwhelms like a flood.
a deluge of mail.
- Synonyms:
- catastrophe, cataclysm
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the Deluge. flood.
noun
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a great flood of water
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torrential rain; downpour
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an overwhelming rush or number
a deluge of requests
verb
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to flood, as with water; soak, swamp, or drown
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to overwhelm or overrun; inundate
noun
Related Words
See flood.
Other Word Forms
- undeluged adjective
Etymology
Origin of deluge
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin dīluvium “flood,” equivalent to dīluv-, base of dīluere “to wash away, dissolve” ( dī- di 2 + -luere, combining form of lavere “to wash”) + -ium -ium
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In one town, the slurry knocked out a hydropower project, adding even more water to the deluge as it joined the Teesta, a Himalayan river known for its sinewy twists and turns.
The river surged, releasing a fresh deluge of water, catching the girl’s wings like wind in a kite.
From Literature
In January, California achieved zero areas of abnormal dryness for the first time in 25 years thanks to a deluge of winter storms, according to the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times
A deluge of weight‑loss drugs is set to transform the global fight against obesity as India prepares to unleash low‑cost generic versions of injections like Ozempic after a key patent expired Friday.
From Barron's
But in the last few months, the home had been deluged with younger arrivals—all Jews and all from Germany.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
