flood

plural floods · alternative obsolete floud

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

   1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC

   3 more examples

   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.

   1910, Emerson Hough, chapter II, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC

   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.

   2013 June 29, “High and wet”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 28

   China's Ministry of Water Resources Saturday warned that floods are expected to hit the country and called on relevant departments to make preparation. Heavy rains have hit parts of southern, eastern and central China since Wednesday, pushing water levels in some rivers well above warning lines, the ministry said. China entered its flood season on Saturday, four days earlier than previous years, and the country may suffer from more and stronger rain as well as floods with more extreme weather forecast for the flood season, the ministry warned.

   2020 March 29, “China enters flood season”, in China Internet Information Center

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

   a flood of complaints

   1 more example

   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.

   2016 December 6, Francis Fukuyama, “The Dangers of Disruption”, in The New York Times

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.

   1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]

   2 more examples

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

   1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 217

   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.

   1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 193

4. A floodlight.
5. Menstrual discharge; menses.
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.

   1667, John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC

present singular third person floods · participle present flooding · participle past flooded · past flooded · alternative obsolete floud

1. To overflow, as by water from excessive rainfall.

   The basement flooded with rainwater.

   1 more example

   People flooded into the streets in protest.

   Synonyms: overfill

2. To cover or partly fill as if by a flood.

   The floor was flooded with beer.

   1 more example

   They flooded the room with sewage.

   Synonyms: inundate

3. figurativelyTo 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.

   2 more examples

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

   2011 October 1, David Ornstein, “Blackburn 0 - 4 Man City”, in BBC Sport

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

   2020 April 22, “Glenfinnan turns blue to honour NHS workers”, in Rail, page 9

   Synonyms: inundate, swamp, deluge, spam

4. InternetambitransitiveTo 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.

   1998, Dr. Cat, “Furry web site plug”, in alt.fan.furry (Usenet)

5. To bleed profusely, as after childbirth.

1. biblicalThe flood referred to in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible.

   1 more example

   The result of the Dispensation of Conscience was that “all flesh had corrupted his way on the earth;” that “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually ;” and God closed the second testing of the natural man with judgment—the Flood.[…] Out of the fearful judgment of the Flood God saved eight persons to whom, after the waters were assuaged, He gave the purified earth with ample power to govern it. This, Noah and his descendants were responsible to do.

   1888, C. I. Scofield, “The Seven Dispensations”, in Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15): Ten Outline Studies of The More Important Divisions of Scripture, Second edition (Religion), Philadelphia, Penn.: Philadelphia School of the Bible, published 1923, →OCLC, page 21

   Synonyms: Deluge

plural Floods · alternative Flud

1. A surname.