torrent
Americannoun
-
torrents
plural
adjective
noun
-
a fast, voluminous, or violent stream of water or other liquid
-
an overwhelming flow of thoughts, words, sound, etc
-
computing a file that controls the transfer of data in a BitTorrent system See BitTorrent
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of torrent
1595–1605; < Latin torrent- (stem of torrēns ) seething, literally, burning, present participle of torrēre to burn, parch; see torrid, -ent
Explanation
A torrent is a heavy rain, or the flooding or wildly-running streams it causes, like the torrent that soaks everyone unlucky enough to be out on the street at that moment. Because the noun torrent literally means "rushing stream," it often describes fast-flowing water, like a rainstorm or creeks and rivers that overflow their banks. But the word can also describe any sudden inundation, like a deluge of words or thoughts, like when, in anger, you unleash a torrent of emotional words on your friend. Like a violent storm, you pour those words, not letting up in order to let him or her explain the other side of the story.
Vocabulary lists containing torrent
A Long Walk to Water
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List 5
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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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:
The town he fled had all but vanished beneath a torrent of water, mud and debris.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
But looking past the daily torrent of alarming headlines reveals another story worth telling.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
In the weeks leading up to the runoff, he has faced a torrent of spending from outside groups attacking him.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
It comes after a blast at another quarry six miles away forced people to flee their homes as a torrent of water flooded them.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
From her mouth issued a torrent of words, a roiling sermon on injustice, inequality, and divine retribution worthy of the Baptist preachers of her youth.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
In the corridors, torrents of water poured from broken pipes.
From Barron's ● Apr. 25, 2026
Spanish police published footage of flooded fields and torrents of water that were engulfing buildings and vehicles.
From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026
He starts gently behind Mr. Blanchard, whose goal of building toward a climax is well-served as Blakey grows gradually more animated, ending in torrents of stickwork and declarative bass-drum kicks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025
Heavy rainfall sent torrents of mud down hillsides and into residential areas.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2025
The rain, which was falling in torrents, added to the uproar.
From "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park
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.
