flood

noun

1. 1

   An overflow of a large amount of water (usually disastrous) from a lake or other body of water due to excessive rainfall or other input of water.

   a covenant never to destroy the earth again by flood

   Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers, of errand not wholly obvious to their fellows, yet of such sort as to call into query alike the nature of their errand and their own relations.

   Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale. The early, intense onset of the monsoon on June 14th swelled rivers, washing away roads, bridges, hotels and even whole villages. Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge.

2. 2

   figurativeA large number or quantity of anything appearing more rapidly than can easily be dealt with.

   a flood of complaints

   Deregulation of financial markets laid the groundwork for the subprime crisis in the United States, while a badly designed euro contributed to the debt crisis in Greece, and the Schengen system of open borders made it difficult to control the flood of refugees in Europe.

3. 3

   The flowing in of the tide, opposed to the ebb.

   There is a tide in the affairs of men, / Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.

   It was ebb tide when she touched, and it was supposed that when the flood made she would float off again.

   The flood had made, the wind was nearly calm, and being bound down the river, the only thing for us was to come to and wait for the turn of the tide.

4. 4

   A floodlight.

5. 5

   Menstrual discharge; menses.

6. 6

   obsoleteWater as opposed to land.

   Who beheld from the safe shore their floating carcasses and broken chariot-wheels. So thick bestrown, abject and lost, lay these, covering the flood, under amazement of their hideous change.

verb

1. 1

   To overflow, as by water from excessive rainfall.

   People flooded into the streets in protest.

   The basement flooded with rainwater.

2. 2

   To cover or partly fill as if by a flood.

   The floor was flooded with beer.

   They flooded the room with sewage.

3. 3

   figurativeTo provide (someone or something) with a larger number or quantity of something than can easily be dealt with.

   The station's switchboard was flooded with listeners making complaints.

   Blackburn offered nothing going forward in the opening period and that continued after the break, encouraging City to flood forward.

   The iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct was flooded with blue light to show support for the National Health Service staff treating Coronavirus patients.

4. 4

   To paste numerous lines of text to (a chat system) in order to disrupt the conversation.

   There's also a spam filter in the code now, so if someone attempts to flood people's screens with macros or a bot, everything after the first few lines is thrown away.

5. 5

   To bleed profusely, as after childbirth.

Forms

plural

floods

past tense

flooded

past participle

flooded

present participle

flooding

third person singular

floods