overfalls
Americannoun
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Oceanography. water made rough by a strong current moving over a shoal, by an opposing current, or by winds blowing against the current.
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Obsolete. a cataract or waterfall.
Etymology
Origin of overfalls
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.
Mr Sharp said: "We are tired but feel quite ecstatic to have finished. "It was a bit hairy towards the finish... with strong tides and big overfalls in the dark.
From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2015
Once they encountered "overfalls" of rather broken water on the tail of a bank; but, with nothing worse than a couple of waves breaking inboard, the motor-boat gained the comparatively smooth water beyond.
From The Dispatch-Riders The Adventures of Two British Motor-cyclists in the Great War by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman
On entering the streights, we found a very strong ripling of the sea, which we were apprehensive were overfalls; but we found it was a strong current setting to the westward.
From An Historical Journal of the Transactions at Port Jackson and Norfolk Island by John Hunter
Strong currents producing overfalls, dangerous to small craft.
From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Sir Edward Belcher
I do not know as the Cataract of Lodore is an adequate exemplification, for that has some airy, fairy jets and overfalls.
From Memories of Hawthorne by Rose Hawthorne Lathrop
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.
