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Showing results for flash flood. Search instead for flash+flood.
Synonyms

flash flood

American  

noun

  1. a sudden and destructive rush of water down a narrow gully or over a sloping surface, caused by heavy rainfall.

flash flood British  

noun

  1. a sudden short-lived torrent, usually caused by a heavy storm, esp in desert regions

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
flash flood Scientific  
/ flăsh /

  1. A sudden, localized flood of great volume and short duration, typically caused by unusually heavy rain in a semiarid area. Flash floods can reach their peak volume in a matter of a few minutes and often carry large loads of mud and rock fragments.

Related Words

See flood.

Etymology

Origin of flash flood

First recorded in 1935–40

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.

Authorities warn that the same storm system is now threatening other islands, with flash flood alerts and evacuation warnings issued for parts of Maui, Molokai and Lanai.

From Salon • Mar. 22, 2026

Google said the Southern African Development Community used the tool to pick up an imminent flash flood in Mozambique.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

The state-owned electricity company Perusahaan Listrik Negara said in a statement Wednesday that it had deployed personnel to gradually restore power supplies after a flash flood caused the collapse of a transmission tower.

From Barron's • Nov. 27, 2025

A flash flood watch is in effect for most of the county from 8 p.m.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 14, 2025

A rainy season flash flood rolled down the Taedong in July 1998, sweeping away hundreds of dam workers and students.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden

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.