flood the zone

present singular third person floods the zone · participle present flooding the zone · participle past flooded the zone · past flooded the zone

1. USidiomaticusuallyhobbiesTo fill a relevant region of the field of play.

   flood the zone with defense

   3 more examples

   The NFL renaissance of Doug Flutie is a reminder of one of the great plays in college football history. […] "The play was called 'Trips Right, Flood Tip,'" Phelan said. "That meant three receivers to the right side, flood the zone and try for the tip."

   1998 November 22, Hal Bock, “Hail To Flutie And The Gang: Miracle Pass to Phelan Still Has Lasting Effect on Players”, in Los Angeles Times, archived from the original on 24 Jan 2025, retrieved 03 Sep 2018

   McCarthy could spot his curveball for strikes, and flooded the zone with fastballs and cutters.

   2017 April 17, Andy McCullough, “Dodgers taxed bullpen gives up first homer in 4-2 loss to Diamondbacks”, in Los Angeles Times, archived from the original on 02 Jun 2017, retrieved 03 Sep 2018

   Of the 17 Padres position players who saw the most playing time in 2017, 16 of them were 29 or younger. […] Of course, simply flooding the zone with young players doesn't guarantee anything.

   2017 November 19, Jonah Keri, “Astros Lead Our Offseason Power Rankings”, in Sports Illustrated, archived from the original on 21 Nov 2017, retrieved 03 Sep 2018

2. broadlyidiomaticusuallyTo provide or supply a very large quantity (of something).

   flood the zone with funding

   4 more examples

   flood the zone with initiatives

   While Washington should flood the zone with research funding, it should refrain from trying to pick a winner.

   2008 April 17, Bryan Walsh, “How to Win the War on Global Warming”, in TIME, archived from the original on 04 Aug 2019, retrieved 03 Sep 2018

   Republicans believe that they have a chance of taking control of the Senate in November. […] And big-money conservatives are flooding the zone with cash to ensure victory.

   2014 July 6, Charles M. Blow, “Opinion: Ramparts Against Republicans”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 12 Nov 2020, retrieved 03 Sep 2018

   The strategy has existed since at least 2018, when the former Trump administration strategist Stephen K. Bannon boasted of the ability to overwhelm Democrats and any media opposition through a determined effort to “flood the zone” with initiatives. This time, the flood is bigger, wider and more brutally efficient.

   2025 January 28, Luke Broadwater, “Trump’s ‘Flood the Zone’ Strategy Leaves Opponents Gasping in Outrage”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 29 Jan 2025

   1. broadlyidiomaticusuallyTo inundate something or someone (especially an information space and the people using it), especially with undesirable things (such as disinformation or noise).

      They're not trying to keep you well informed, nor to balance both sides — they're flooding the zone.

      1 more example

      [A]s former Trump advisor Stephen K. Bannon so eloquently puts it — “the real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with sh–.”

      2018 February 13, Anne Applebaum, “A Russian dissident pulls off a virtuoso trolling of the Putin regime”, in The Washington Post, archived from the original on 26 Apr 2018, retrieved 03 Sep 2018

3. usuallyUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see flood, the, zone.

   Mr. Magoon. It would not flood the Zone, but my understanding is that it would flood about 120 square miles.

   1907, Charles E. Magoon, Hearings Before the Committee on Interoceanic Canals of the United States Senate, In the Matter of the Senate Resolution adopted January 9, 1906, providing for an Investigation of Matters relating to the Panama Canal, Etc., volume 1, Goverment Printing Office, retrieved 30 Aug 2025, page 717

   1 more example

   Potential fire zones through which no air flows do not require equal agent distribution, but do require sufficient agent to flood the zone.

   1944 February 1, “Fire protection for aircraft powerplants”, in Aero Digest, volume 44, number 2, retrieved 30 Aug 2025, page 224