overflow

[ verb oh-ver-floh; noun oh-ver-floh ]

/ verb ˌoʊ vərˈfloʊ; noun ˈoʊ vərˌfloʊ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: overflow / overflowing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), o·ver·flowed, o·ver·flown, o·ver·flow·ing.

to flow or run over, as rivers or water: After the thaw, the river overflows and causes great damage.

to have the contents flowing over or spilling, as an overfull container: Stop pouring or your glass is going to overflow.

to pass from one place or part to another as if flowing from an overfull space: The population overflowed into the adjoining territory.

to be filled or supplied with in great measure: a heart overflowing with gratitude; a region overflowing with orchards and vineyards.

verb (used with object), o·ver·flowed, o·ver·flown, o·ver·flow·ing.

to flow over; flood; inundate: The river overflowed several farms.

to flow over or beyond (the brim, banks, borders, etc.).

to cause to overflow.

to flow over the edge or brim of (a receptacle, container, etc.).

to fill to the point of running over.

noun

an overflowing: the annual overflow of the Nile.

something that flows or runs over: to carry off the overflow from a fountain.

a portion crowded out of an overfilled place: to house the overflow of the museum's collection in another building.

an excess or superabundance: an overflow of applicants for the job.

an outlet or receptacle for excess liquid: The tank is equipped with an overflow.

OTHER WORDS FOR overflow

13 overabundance, surplus, plethora, flood, glut.

See synonyms for overflow on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of overflow

before 900; Middle English overflowen,Old English oferflōwan.See over-, flow

OTHER WORDS FROM overflow

o·ver·flow·a·ble, adjectiveo·ver·flow·ing·ly, adverbun·o·ver·flow·ing, adjective

Words nearby overflow

overfeed, overfill, overfish, overflap, overflight, overflow, overfly, overfold, overfond, overfull, overfunding

How to use overflow in a sentence

He went on to have a career as an extreme-cleaning specialist and professional downsizer who now appears on two TV series about people dealing with an overflow of stuff.
How downsizing expert Matt Paxton helps Americans sort through their stuff|Jura Koncius|January 21, 2021|Washington Post
You can get into overflow and fill them with water at -30 degrees, take them off, dump them out, put them back on, and your feet will warm back up.
Dress like an Alaskan to weather the winter cold|By Tyler Freel/Outdoor Life|January 20, 2021|Popular-Science
We vetted and contracted backup factories who met our high criteria to help work through backlog in case of overflow.
This female-founded face mask brand had a wait-list of more than 40,000 customers|Rachel King|January 17, 2021|Fortune
Heavy rains cause overflows that send billions of gallons of effluent into local waterways.
Battling America’s ‘dirty secret’|Sarah Kaplan|December 17, 2020|Washington Post

Those in rural areas, in particular, have been grappling with overflow conditions because some of their larger partners in urban centers have stopped accepting transfers.
Record numbers of covid-19 patients push hospitals and staffs to the limit|Brittany Shammas, Ariana Eunjung Cha, Ben Guarino, Jacqueline Dupree|December 17, 2020|Washington Post
Today, sewage overflow is rarely an issue in developed cities.
The Secret to Tracking Ebola, MERS, and Flu? Sewers|Wudan Yan|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pope Francis urged the local parish to open up a closed monastery on the island to house the overflow.
Italian Shipwreck Survivors to be Prosecuted and Fined|Barbie Latza Nadeau|October 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“Barack Obama believes America is in need of great change,” Santorum said to the overflow crowd of 2,500.
Rick Santorum Goes After Obama in Feisty Georgia Speech|Patricia Murphy|February 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The overflow crowds were thinning out—and he was becoming less of a novelty.
Santorum’s New Hampshire Expectations Plummet as Iowa Glow Wears Off|Lois Romano|January 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
An hour to the north, at the rural Tilton School, Mitt Romney faced his own overflow crowd beneath quietly humming ceiling fans.
Mitt Romney Soars, Rick Santorum Struggles as They Battle in the New Hampshire Primary|Howard Kurtz|January 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
They would not then have been so annoyed by an overflow of traders nor been rendered the laughing-stock of the community.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
The owners of a well may prevent its overflow and thereby cut off water that formerly ran into a stream.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
How was he to know that these tears were the overflow of a heart that was on the point of bursting from sheer joy?
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
During the fortnight which followed the overflow, every day was employed by Madame Bastien, her son, and David in benevolent work.
The Seven Cardinal Sins: Envy and Indolence|Eugne Sue
It would often overflow the country entirely, were it not that the banks are guarded by dikes, like the dikes of the sea.
Rollo in Holland|Jacob Abbott

British Dictionary definitions for overflow

overflow

verb (ˌəʊvəˈfləʊ) -flows or -flowing or -flowed or formerly -flown

to flow or run over (a limit, brim, bank, etc)

to fill or be filled beyond capacity so as to spill or run over

(intr usually foll by with) to be filled with happiness, tears, etc

(tr) to spread or cover over; flood or inundate

noun (ˈəʊvəˌfləʊ)

overflowing matter, esp liquid

any outlet that enables surplus liquid to be discharged or drained off, esp one just below the top of a tank or cistern

the amount by which a limit, capacity, etc, is exceeded

computing a condition that occurs when numeric operations produce results too large to store in the memory space assigned to it

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

overflow

OTHER WORDS FOR overflow

Origin of overflow

OTHER WORDS FROM overflow

Words nearby overflow

Words related to overflow

How to use overflow in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for overflow