over·flow
ˌō-vər-ˈflō 
overflowed; overflowing; overflows
1
: to cover with or as if with water : inundate
2
: to flow over the brim of
3
: to cause to overflow
1
: to flow over bounds
2
: to fill a space to capacity and spread beyond its limits
the crowd overflowed into the street
over·flow
ˈō-vər-ˌflō
1
: a flowing over : inundation
2
: something that flows over : surplus
3
: an outlet or receptacle for surplus liquid
Synonyms
Examples of overflow in a Sentence
Verb
The river overflowed its banks.
The creek overflows every spring.
The water in the tub overflowed.
Books and papers overflowed his desk.
The paragraph overflowed the page.
Noun
a great overflow of water from the heavy rains swept mud and silt down onto the highway
an overflow of help actually made the job more complicated
Recent Examples on the Web
Makiya Seminera, arkansasonline.com, 9 Aug. 2024
Our kitchens are overflowing with equipment, cookbooks, and new ingredients, which makes space conscious organizing solutions a must.
—Wilder Davies, Bon Appétit, 8 Aug. 2024
Alice Park, TIME, 25 July 2024
Environmentally, both of the city’s sewage treatment plants have a history of raw sewage overflows due to poor operations and management practices.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for overflow 
Verb
Some residents of southeast Georgia were warned to brace for additional flooding Thursday even after Debby had cleared out for the Carolinas, as rivers swollen with rainfall overflowed their banks.
—Makiya Seminera, arkansasonline.com, 9 Aug. 2024
Our kitchens are overflowing with equipment, cookbooks, and new ingredients, which makes space conscious organizing solutions a must.
—Wilder Davies, Bon Appétit, 8 Aug. 2024
Noun
Even with the overflow tank officials built to catch sewage during downpours, the river continues to host unsafe levels of bacteria.
—Alice Park, TIME, 25 July 2024
Environmentally, both of the city’s sewage treatment plants have a history of raw sewage overflows due to poor operations and management practices.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for overflow
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overflow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near overflow
Cite this Entry
“Overflow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overflow. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
overflow
1 of 2 verb
over·flow
ˌō-vər-ˈflō
1
: to cover with or as if with water : inundate
2
: to flow over the brim or top of
the river overflowed its banks
3
: to flow over bounds
the creek overflows every spring
4
: to fill a space up and spread beyond its limits
the paragraph overflowed the page
overflow
2 of 2 noun
over·flow
ˈō-vər-ˌflō
Medical Definition
overflow
noun
over·flow
ˈō-vər-ˌflō
: an excessive flow or amount
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share