overflow
verb (used without object)
to flow or run over, as rivers or water.
were overflowing
-
past progressiveof overflow.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Nearby bars were overflowing with anxious New Yorkers who hung on every shot and call during the incredibly close game five in the best-of-seven series.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
An evocatively realized setting such as Ms. Bigelow’s Washington nerve center can be ample reason to make a movie worth seeing, but three others that were overflowing with local atmosphere offered far more than that.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025
By 1988, Putnam’s offices in the New York Life Building were overflowing, literally, with material.
From Salon ● Nov. 9, 2023
At least 16 locations along major rivers were overflowing their banks as the high-impact storm moved south through the state, including areas along the Salinas, Sacramento and Merced rivers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2023
During times of famine or drought, he never gave one spoonful of rice to a starving child, even though his jars were overflowing with grains.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
