flash flood
noun
a sudden and destructive rush of water down a narrow gully or over a sloping surface, caused by heavy rainfall.
QUIZZES
DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!
We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Origin of flash flood
First recorded in 1935–40
synonym study for flash flood
See flood.
Words nearby flash flood
flash drive, flashed glass, flash eliminator, flasher, flash fiction, flash flood, flash-forward, flash-freeze, flashgun, flashing, flashing point
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
British Dictionary definitions for flash flood
flash flood
noun
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
Scientific definitions for flash flood
flash flood
[ flăsh ]
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.