From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfloodflood1 /flʌd/ ●●○ W3 verb 1 cover with water [intransitive, transitive]DNWET to cover a place with water, or to become covered with water Towns and cities all over the country have been flooded. The houses down by the river flood quite regularly.2 river [intransitive, transitive]DNWATER if a river floods, it is too full, and spreads water over the land around it There are now fears that the river could flood.3 go/arrive in large numbers [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]GO to arrive or go somewhere in large numbers SYN pour, flow Refugees are still flooding across the border. Donations have been flooding in since we launched the appeal.4 → flood something with something5 → be flooded with something6 → flood the market7 light [intransitive, transitive]BRIGHT if light floods a place or floods into it, it makes it very light and brightflood into Light flooded into the kitchen.flood something with something The morning sun flooded the room with a gentle light.8 feeling [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive]FEEL HAPPY/FRIGHTENED/BORED ETC if a feeling or memory floods over you or floods back, you feel or remember it very stronglyflood over/back I felt happiness and relief flooding over me. Memories of my time in Paris flooded back.9 engine [intransitive, transitive]TTC if an engine floods or if you flood it, it has too much petrol in it, so that it will not start → flood somebody ↔ out→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
flood• After two days of continuous rain, the village was flooded.• Three major rivers have already flooded, and two more are on red alert.• If ozone deterioration persisted, they warned, solar ultraviolet radiation would flood Earth.• Loneliness flooded her as she watched J.D. walk away.• And as she remembered her own vivid imaginings a blush crept up her throat to flood her cheeks with hot colour.• The whole town flooded last summer.• That wild sky and those immaculate rivers come flooding, literally, across the border.• To flood the air with carbon dioxide, the biospherians hauled back the tons of dried grass clippings they had removed earlier.• They believe moves to tighten the gun laws even further could result in even more firearms flooding the black market.• Farmers flood the fields in order to grow rice.• The fire department showed up and flooded the hall with their hoses.• Donations flooded the newspaper and the school.• In the rainy season the river can rise rapidly to flood the valley in a few hours.• Melting snow floods the valleys each spring.• Dust floated in the beams of light that flooded through the fanlight over the front door.• The small room was flooded with light.flood over/back• All her misgivings came flooding back.• My heart skipped a beat and the fear came flooding back.• She glimpsed smooth skin, but the blood and dirt flooded back in.• Colour flooded back into her life, like magic.• And at once all the warnings flooded back into her mind.• When there are sudden floods over the banks, more sand and mud are deposited, mainly near the river channel.• The stammered words of the Consul flooded back to him.• Once the search area has been widened however, enthusiasm flooded back with a loud response from one of the metal detectors.floodflood2 ●●○ noun 1 [countable, uncountable]DNWATER a very large amount of water that covers an area that is usually dry The village was cut off by floods. the worst floods for over fifty years2 LOT/LARGE NUMBER OR AMOUNT[countable] a very large number of things or people that arrive at the same timeflood of The UN appealed for help with the flood of refugees crossing the border.3 → in floods of tears4 → in flood → flash flood at flash3(1)Examples from the Corpus
flood• There has been an extensive programme of restorations in Venice since the 1966 flood.• The same would be true if Clinton responds by scaring women about a flood of pro-life Dole-appointed judges.• A flood of refugees poured over the bridge to escape the fighting.• The town was completely destroyed by floods.• They remember vividly how floods once killed hundreds of thousands, and buried villages and temples.• Even an occasional flood would not hurt, he said, because water could be released.• It could provide data for other endeavors and possibly influence government codes regulating flood control.• Helicopters continued to search for others who had climbed trees to escape from the flood waters.• Snapping out of his brief trance, Mungo supposed Stanley was relieved that at least the shop had survived the flood.• Yosemite National Park is restricting access to the Park in order to cope with the flood damage.• The company has employed a number of new staff to cope with the flood of visitors to the site.• What is generating this uncontrollable flood?• the wide flood plains of the River Nile• Last winter, the town suffered the worst floods for fifty years.flood of refugees• The moves also came amid increased cooperation over immigration issues following a 1994 flood of refugees.• The most immediate threat remains the current drought and the danger of a flood of refugees.Flood, thethe FloodFlood, the 1 a story told in the Old Testament of the Bible about a great flood that covered the whole world. According to the story, God caused the Flood because he was angry with the people on Earth and wanted to punish them. He made it rain for 40 days and 40 nights, and most of the people and animals on Earth were killed. Only one man, Noah, and his family were saved. God told Noah to build an ark (=a large boat) and to take two of every kind of animal on the ark with him. When the rain stopped and the water level began to go down, Noah sent out a dove to look for land, and the bird returned carrying an olive branch to show that the land was reappearing.2 → before the FloodFrom Longman Business Dictionaryfloodflood1 /flʌd/ verb1[transitive] to send a large number of things such as letters or requests to an organizationflood something withDealers flooded Congress with angry letters.Swiss banks have been flooded with deposits and loan requests from blue-chip American firms.2[intransitive] to arrive in large numbersflood in/into/across etcDonations have been flooding in since we launched the appeal.As his corruption became evident, the usually tolerant Brazilians flooded onto the streets and drove Mr Collor out.3flood the market to make a product available in large quantities, perhaps with the result that its price fallsAuto-makers have been flooding the market with late-model used cars.→ See Verb tablefloodflood2 noun [uncountable] a large number of things or people that arrive at the same timeflood ofThe last-minuteflood of applications means most small investors will probably be allocated fewer than 400 shares.The flood of credit into the housing market fuelled house-price inflation.Origin flood2 Old English flod 