torrent
Americannoun
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:
His extended absence from filmmaking was necessitated by Adrian’s death in 2016 and the monumental torrent of confusion and emotional displacement that followed.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
A reservoir wall broke in Nanning in China, sending out a torrent of water after rivers swelled from the passage of a typhoon.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Moriarty has faced a torrent of online harassment herself about her physical appearance, which recently led her to reveal that she has been suffering from Graves’ disease.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
Pratt has brought national attention to his campaign by amplifying a torrent of viral, AI-generated content.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
A torrent of ecstatic reviews appeared almost immediately.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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
Europe's victory came amid torrents of verbal abuse from a New York crowd which was heavily criticised for its behaviour.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2025
On the one hand, this is a place that is known to be dangerous—part of Texas’ Flash Flood Alley, where big storms, dry ground, and hilly terrain routinely combine to turn riverbeds into deadly torrents.
From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2025
It was still falling in torrents through the holes where the windows had been, the rest of it draining away through the floor.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
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.
