flood
gb/flˈʌd/ us/flˈʌd/
A2
English
~ 4900
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
event
1
Overflow of water onto land
A lot of water covering land that is usually dry.
Usage pattern:
a flood in [a place]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'flood' with 'fluent' because they sound similar, but they have unrelated meanings.
Synonyms
deluge (A very large and sudden flood, often more dramatic in tone.)
Antonyms
drought (A long period with no rain, the opposite of a flood in terms of water availability.)
Collocations
flash flood
|flood damage
|flood warning
|severe flood
|flood zone
Themes
nature
|weather
|disaster
Examples
- The flood destroyed several homes along the river.
- After days of rain, the town suffered a major flood.
- Authorities issued a flood warning for the coastal region.
- The flood covered the farmland in several feet of water.
- Many people had to evacuate because of the flood.
Learner examples
- The flood damaged many houses.
- A flood happened after the big storm.
- The river made a flood in the city.
- People left their homes because of the flood.
Verb
A2
action
2
To cover an area with water
To put or cause too much water in a place so it covers the ground.
Usage pattern:
to flood [a place]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say 'make a flood' instead of 'cause a flood' or 'flood'.
Synonyms
inundate (More formal and technical term, often used in official reports or literature.)
Antonyms
drain (To remove liquid from an area, the opposite action of flooding.)
Collocations
flood a street
|flood the basement
|flood the fields
|river floods
Themes
nature
|weather
|disaster
Examples
- Heavy rains flooded the streets last night.
- If the dam breaks, it will flood the valley.
- The burst pipe flooded the kitchen.
- The river flooded after three days of continuous rain.
Learner examples
- Rain can flood the road.
- The storm will flood the park.
- Water from the river will flood the town.
Verb
B1
action
3
To fill or overwhelm with things
To give or send so much of something that it is too much.
Usage pattern:
to flood [someone/something] with [things]
Common mistake:
Learners may use 'fill' instead of 'flood', missing the sense of excess or overwhelming amount.
Synonyms
overwhelm (Can refer to both emotional and physical excess; broader than 'flood'.)
Antonyms
deprive (To take away or keep something from someone; opposite in terms of supply.)
Collocations
flood with emails
|flood with complaints
|flood with light
Themes
communication
|business
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The company was flooded with job applications.
- Fans flooded social media with messages.
- Sunlight flooded the room through the open windows.
Learner examples
- The shop was flooded with customers.
- They flooded my inbox with messages.
- Light flooded into the room.
Noun
B1
event
4
Sudden large arrival of things/people
A lot of people or things coming at once.
Usage pattern:
a flood of [things/people]
Synonyms
wave (Often used figuratively for large arrivals; slightly softer than 'flood'.)
Antonyms
trickle (A very small number or slow flow, opposite of 'flood' in this sense.)
Collocations
flood of refugees
|flood of orders
|flood of complaints
Themes
communication
|business
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- There was a flood of tourists during the summer season.
- The announcement caused a flood of inquiries.
- A flood of memories came back to her.
Learner examples
- We got a flood of emails today.
- There was a flood of people at the concert.
- She felt a flood of happy memories.
Grammar
Dictionary form
flood
IPA
GB/flˈʌd/
US/flˈʌd/
Syllables & stress
flood (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (flood)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: flood
- Plural: floods
Verb
- Base: flood
- 3rd Person Singular: floods
- Present Participle: flooding
- Past: flooded
Word family
Forms
floods
noun
flooding
verb
flooded
verb
Related words
floodwater
noun
floodplain
noun B2
Negative and opposite forms
drought
noun B2
Advanced or less common
floodgate
noun C1
Expressions
a flood of tears
1/ə flˈʌd əv tˈɪɹz/
fixed phrase
Crying a lot suddenly
Crying a lot suddenly and strongly.
Examples
- She burst into a flood of tears when she heard the news.
- After losing his toy, the child was in a flood of tears.
flood in
1/flˈʌd ˈɪn/
phrasal verb
Arrive in large numbers quickly
To come or enter in very large numbers quickly.
Examples
- As soon as the gates opened, fans began to flood in.
- Donations flooded in after the disaster was reported.
flood out
1/flˈʌd ˈaʊt/
phrasal verb
Force people to leave by flooding
To make people leave a place by covering it with water or another substance.
Examples
- The rising river flooded out several families living near its banks.
- Protesters were flooded out when sprinklers were turned on.
open the floodgates
1/ˈoʊpən ðə flˈʌdɡˌeɪts/
idiom
Allow something uncontrolled to happen
To let something happen more and more after stopping it before.
Examples
- The new policy opened the floodgates to complaints from customers.
- The new law opened the floodgates for foreign investment.
- Once she started talking, it opened the floodgates and she told us everything.
- His confession opened the floodgates for more complaints.