overflow
gb/ˈoʊvɚfloʊ/ us/ˈoʊvɚfloʊ/
B1
English
~ 8600
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
event
1
Flow over an edge from fullness
To have so much liquid or other material in a place that it goes over the side and out.
Usage pattern:
to overflow (from [container]) (into [place])
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"the water passed the limit"* instead of *"the water overflowed"*. Also, they may confuse *overflow* with *overfill*: *overfill* is the action of putting in too much; *overflow* is what happens when it actually runs out.
Synonyms
spill over (Often used more generally for something going past a limit; can sound slightly less strong than a full overflow.)
Antonyms
drain (Describes liquid flowing away out of a container, the opposite of building up and flowing over.)
Collocations
bath overflow
|sink overflow
|toilet overflow
|river overflow its banks
|cause an overflow
|overflow into the street
Themes
daily life
|home
|nature
|daily_life
Examples
- The bath overflowed and water ran all over the floor.
- Heavy rain caused the river to overflow its banks.
- The washing machine overflowed, flooding the kitchen.
- Crowds overflowed from the stadium into the nearby streets.
- If the tank overflows, it will damage the ceiling below.
Learner examples
- The sink overflowed and the floor got wet.
- After the storm, the small river overflowed.
- Be careful not to fill the pot so much that it overflows.
- The toilet overflowed and they had to call a plumber.
- Water overflowed from the bucket when he dropped a stone in.
Verb
B2
state
2
Be extremely full of something
To be very, very full of something like feelings, ideas, or people.
Usage pattern:
to overflow with [something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"full of"* when *"overflowing with"* would show a much stronger feeling or amount. Also, they may incorrectly say *"overflow of happiness"* instead of the more natural *"overflowing with happiness"*.
Synonyms
brim with (Very close in meaning; slightly more literary and often used with emotions or abstract things.)
Antonyms
lack (Describes having too little or none of something, the opposite of being more than full of it.)
Collocations
overflow with joy
|overflow with ideas
|overflow with people
|overflow with pride
|overflowing with talent
|overflowing with energy
Themes
emotions
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Her voice overflowed with emotion as she thanked the team.
- The city was overflowing with tourists during the festival.
- The book overflows with practical tips and real-life examples.
- He is overflowing with ideas for the new project.
- The room overflowed with laughter when she told the story.
Learner examples
- She was overflowing with joy when she saw her exam score.
- The small cafe was overflowing with people at lunchtime.
- This website is overflowing with useful information.
- The children were overflowing with energy after the party.
- His heart overflowed with love for his new baby.
Noun
B2
entity
3
Liquid that has spilled out
The liquid that comes out of a place because there is too much inside it, or the situation when this happens.
Usage pattern:
an overflow of [liquid/waste]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse the noun *overflow* with the verb and say *"there was overflowed"* instead of *"there was an overflow"*. Remember that *overflow* can be both a verb and a noun.
Synonyms
spillage (Emphasizes the material that has been spilled; not limited to situations where a container is too full.)
Antonyms
drainage (Refers to liquid being carried away safely, the opposite of it escaping uncontrollably as an overflow.)
Collocations
sewage overflow
|stormwater overflow
|bathroom overflow
|overflow pipe
|overflow problem
|deal with an overflow
Themes
daily life
|infrastructure
|daily_life
Examples
- The heavy rain caused an overflow of sewage into the river.
- Maintenance workers were called in to fix a bathroom overflow on the third floor.
- An overflow from the tank damaged several boxes stored below.
- The overflow from the gutters ran down the side of the building.
- Install an overflow pipe to prevent another overflow during storms.
Learner examples
- The hotel had a big overflow of water after the pipe broke.
- They cleaned the floor after the toilet overflow caused an overflow.
- A sudden overflow from the sink made the carpet wet.
- The city has problems with overflow during heavy rain.
- An overflow of dirty water came out of the drain.
Noun
B2
entity
4
Extra people or things beyond capacity
Extra people or things that do not fit in the main room, place, or system.
Usage pattern:
an overflow of [people/things]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"second room"* or *"extra parking"* instead of the more natural fixed phrases *overflow room* and *overflow parking*.
Synonyms
spillover (Often used in a similar way, especially for extra effects or people going into another area; sometimes more abstract or economic.)
Antonyms
vacancy (Describes free space or available capacity, the opposite of having more than you can fit.)
Collocations
overflow crowd
|overflow area
|overflow room
|overflow parking
|overflow shelter
|overflow facility
Themes
transport
|events
|organization
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The church set up an overflow room with a video screen for latecomers.
- There was an overflow crowd, so many people had to stand in the hallway.
- The parking lot was full and cars were directed to the overflow parking area.
- The shelter opened an overflow section to house more families.
- Due to high demand, the company used an overflow facility to handle extra calls.
Learner examples
- The main hall was full, so they watched in an overflow room.
- We had to park in the overflow parking lot.
- The hotel used an overflow area for extra guests.
- The city built an overflow shelter for cold nights.
- There was an overflow crowd at the concert.
Noun
technical
C1
state
5
Computing error from exceeding capacity
In computers, a problem that happens when a number or data is too big for the memory space made for it.
Usage pattern:
an overflow in [system/process]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse the everyday meaning of *overflow* (water spilling out) with the computing meaning. In technical texts, *overflow* often talks about numbers or memory, not liquid.
Synonyms
overrun (In technical contexts, can describe going past a limit; *buffer overrun* is close to *buffer overflow* but less common.)
Antonyms
underflow (Technical term for a value being too small to represent, the opposite extreme of an overflow.)
Collocations
buffer overflow
|stack overflow
|integer overflow
|overflow error
|overflow condition
|prevent overflow
Themes
technology
|computing
Examples
- The program crashed due to an integer overflow.
- Developers added checks to prevent a buffer overflow vulnerability.
- A stack overflow occurs when the call stack grows beyond its limit.
- The compiler warned about a possible arithmetic overflow in this expression.
- Overflow errors can lead to security problems if not handled correctly.
Learner examples
- The game stopped because there was an overflow error.
- They fixed a bug that caused an integer overflow.
- The website had a problem with a buffer overflow.
- The teacher explained what a stack overflow is.
- Good code should check for overflow and underflow.
Verb
technical
C1
event
6
In computing, to exceed capacity
In computers, to go past the size limit of the memory space made for a value or data.
Usage pattern:
for [value/data] to overflow
Common mistake:
Learners may think *overflow* here always stops the program, but in many systems the value just wraps around without an obvious error.
Synonyms
exceed (General word meaning to go beyond a limit; does not itself imply the technical error that *overflow* suggests.)
Antonyms
fit (If data fits in memory, it stays within capacity, the opposite of overflowing it.)
Collocations
counter overflows
|variable overflows
|buffer overflows
|stack overflows
|cause the register to overflow
|allow the array to overflow
Themes
technology
|computing
Examples
- If the counter overflows, the value will wrap around to zero.
- The buffer overflows when more bytes are written than it can store.
- Without proper checks, the input length can overflow the allocated array.
- The register overflows at values greater than 65,535.
- In this system, the stack overflows if the recursion is too deep.
Learner examples
- If the number is too big, the variable can overflow.
- The buffer overflows when the program writes too much data.
- The stack overflows if there are too many function calls.
- Be careful: this value might overflow the memory.
- The teacher showed how a counter can overflow and start again at zero.
Noun
technical
B2
entity
7
Safety opening for excess liquid
A small hole near the top of a sink or bath that lets extra water out so it does not go on the floor.
Usage pattern:
the overflow of [sink/bath]
Common mistake:
Learners often think *overflow* always means the action of spilling, and may not realize it can name the small safety hole in a sink or bath.
Synonyms
overflow outlet (More technical; clearly states that it is an outlet rather than the action or event.)
Antonyms
sealed rim (A container edge without any extra escape hole, the opposite of having an overflow opening.)
Collocations
blocked overflow
|bath overflow
|sink overflow
|clean the overflow
|fit an overflow
|overflow opening
Themes
home
|plumbing
|housing
|daily_life
Examples
- The sink overflow is blocked and needs to be cleaned.
- Water rose to the level of the overflow but did not spill onto the floor.
- Modern baths usually have an overflow as a safety feature.
- The plumber checked the overflow on the basin for any leaks.
- Mold was growing around the overflow in the bathroom sink.
Learner examples
- Our bath has a small overflow near the top.
- He cleaned the dirt from the sink overflow.
- The water reached the overflow but did not go on the floor.
- The plumber said the overflow was not working.
- Most new sinks include an overflow for safety.
Grammar
Dictionary form
overflow
IPA
GB/ˈoʊvɚfloʊ/
US/ˈoʊvɚfloʊ/
Syllables & stress
over - flow (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (over)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: overflow
- Plural: overflow, overflows
Verb
- Base: overflow
- 3rd Person Singular: overflows
- Present Participle: overflowing
- Past: overflowed
Word family
Forms
overflows
noun
overflowing
verb
overflowed
verb
Related words
flow
verb A2
overfill
verb
Expressions
be overflowing with
1/bˈi ˈoʊvɚflˌoʊɪŋ wˈɪθ/
fixed phrase
Be in a state of great fullness
To be in a condition where you have a lot of something, often feelings or good things.
Examples
- She was overflowing with excitement on her wedding day.
- This city is overflowing with culture and nightlife.
- The internet is overflowing with information on this topic.
overflow into
1/ˈoʊvɚfloʊ ˈɪntu/
phrasal verb
Spread into another area
To move or spread into a next space because the first space is too full.
Examples
- The crowd overflowed into the nearby streets.
- The meeting ran long and overflowed into the lunch hour.
- Boxes from the storage room have started to overflow into the hallway.
overflow with
1/ˈoʊvɚfloʊ wˈɪθ/
phrasal verb
Be extremely full of something
To have so much of something, like people, ideas, or feelings, that you seem more than full of it.
Examples
- The streets were overflowing with fans after the team won.
- Her diary is overflowing with plans for the summer.
- His speech was overflowing with gratitude and warmth.