overflow
Americanverb (used without object)
-
overflows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overflowed,
past participle, past
-
overflown,
past participle
-
overflowing
present participle
-
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)
-
overflows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overflowed,
past participle, past
-
overflown,
past participle
-
overflowing
present participle
-
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
-
overflows
plural
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- glut, flood, plethora, surplus, overabundance
-
an outlet or receptacle for excess liquid.
The tank is equipped with an overflow.
verb
-
to flow or run over (a limit, brim, bank, etc)
-
to fill or be filled beyond capacity so as to spill or run over
-
to be filled with happiness, tears, etc
-
(tr) to spread or cover over; flood or inundate
noun
-
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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overflowsimple
-
overflowssimple
-
have overflowedperfect
-
have overflownperfect
-
has overflowedperfect
-
has overflownperfect
-
am overflowingprogressive
-
are overflowingprogressive
-
is overflowingprogressive
-
have been overflowingperfect progressive
-
has been overflowingperfect progressive
Past
-
overflowedsimple
-
had overflowedperfect
-
had overflownperfect
-
was overflowingprogressive
-
were overflowingprogressive
-
had been overflowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overflow
before 900; Middle English overflowen, Old English oferflōwan. See over-, flow
Explanation
To overflow is to go beyond filling something with a liquid, so that it gushes over the edges. During heavy rainstorms, rivers sometimes overflow their banks and flood the surrounding land. Bathwater will overflow the tub if you don't turn the water off, and if you keep pouring coffee after your cup is full, it will also overflow. Literal overflowing involves liquid, but you can also use this verb to mean "fill a container" or "fill with feeling." So your arms can overflow with flowers, and your heart can overflow with happiness. The Old English root is oferfleow, "flood" or "inundate."
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.
See Examples For:
We wore KN95 masks—a modern version of the plague doctor beaks—and hid in our houses, and saw our hospitals overflow, and couldn’t be with our loved ones when they died.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation warned of low pressure across eastern, northeastern and central Thailand until Sunday, saying there was a risk of flash floods, forest runoff, mudslides, and river overflow.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
They think that Australia could accommodate part of this demand overflow, pointing to its data sovereignty requirements and renewables-assisted capability to power the centers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Under shaded tents, plates overflow with fried fish and macaroni salad as elders hold court, trading stories about “the old record shop on Avalon” and the Los Angeles they remember “before the riots.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Celia leaves the condolences piled on the dining-room table until they begin to overflow into the lounge.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
"That's why we are tripling investment over the next five years to halve spills from storm overflows and upgrade the capacity of 1,700 wastewater treatment works," a spokesperson said.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
“All Eyez on Me,” the double album Shakur released in 1996, overflows with groovy bass samples that display his reverence for 1970s and 1980s R&B—Kool & the Gang, Bootsy Collins, Cameo and more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Because I’m a stranger who people regularly turn to for financial help, my inbox typically overflows with general questions like the one above.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
The background jar stands alone, while the piece in the foreground overflows with a rainbow of plants, flowers, fruit, chamoy candies, gummies and a single real butterfly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Looking down at him on the floor, how he overflows the rug, I think about that story where a giant falls asleep and is tied up by little people.
From "Freak The Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick
Roughly a year ago, a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed after a large amount of ice melted, hitting the same Nepal-China border area with deadly floods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
She arrived at the courtroom nearly an hour and a half ahead of her 8:30 a.m. appointment, and watched as the waiting room overflowed with at least a hundred other immigrants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
"Rivers that are normally completely frozen have overflowed where they hadn't historically," he told the BBC, causing layered, unstable ice sheets that are hazardous to travel over in winter months.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
Although recovery efforts were under way in parts of the city, some outlying areas remained at risk as a nearby river overflowed, forcing another 500 people to evacuate on Thursday morning.
From Barron's ● Jan. 8, 2026
Every time my magic has overflowed into illusions, he’s been right there.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
The victims died on Sunday and Monday in Minas Gerais state, where rivers have overflown, leaving towns partially submerged.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2022
Its military this month deployed tanks to the Tajik border with Afghanistan and has overflown the region with ground-attack jets, ostensibly on training exercises.
From New York Times ● Jul. 29, 2021
"That island was overflown by a plane catapulted from the USS Colorado a few days after she went missing. The pilot didn't see any recent activity."
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2019
According to the Palestinian Ma’an news agency, several Israeli bulldozers entered the southern Gaza Strip early on Thursday overflown by drones, which would fit with the timeframe described by the Israeli military.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 18, 2016
Frightened was the way he had felt a year ago when an unidentified aircraft had overflown the community twice.
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
I’m not even getting married until 2028, but my Pinterest board is already overflowing with inspo photos of dresses and decor.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
It has a bridal shop overflowing with sparkly gowns and a coffee shop serving up lattes with Chinese symbols for happiness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
A garden hose had been overflowing the pool above the hillside for an “unknown amount of time” when it caused the flooding and subsequent collapse, according to the Fire Department’s 5 p.m. update.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
With mortuaries overflowing, Nepal has buried hundreds of bodies in mass graves after collecting DNA samples for future identification, according to police.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
Besides that portion reserved for travelers there was an almonry overflowing with the poor of London, seeking food and clothing.
From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
