deluge
/ˈdeljuːdʒ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdeljuːdʒ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈdel-ˌyüj -ˌyüzh; nonstandard də-ˈlüj ˈdā-ˌlüj/ (ame, mw) · /ˈdel.juːdʒ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdel.juːdʒ/ (ame, ipa)
deluge — noun
- delugesingular
- delugesplural
1. Water that suddenly covers a place in huge quantities, often because of extreme
Water that suddenly covers a place in huge quantities, often because of extreme rain or a storm.
The sudden deluge turned the dry riverbed into a fast-moving stream within an hour.
collocation: sudden deluge
After the storm, a deluge left the village square under two metres of muddy water.
Farmers checked the sky nervously, knowing a spring deluge could ruin the year's planting.
- drought
a long period with no rain
文法句型
a deluge of [water/rain]
用法筆記
Often followed by 'of' to name the cause, as in 'a deluge of rain'. Stronger than 'flood' in everyday speech — 'deluge' suggests a sudden, overwhelming quantity.
常見錯誤
2. An extremely large number of items, like emails, requests, or complaints, that c
An extremely large number of items, like emails, requests, or complaints, that come all at once and are difficult to manage.
The small bakery received a deluge of orders after a food blog praised its cakes.
pattern: a deluge of [orders/messages]
The newspaper editor faced a deluge of letters from readers who disagreed with the story.
The charity office was buried under a deluge of donation requests after the earthquake hit the region.
- trickle
a very small amount arriving slowly
文法句型
a deluge of [communications/requests]
用法筆記
Commonly appears as 'a deluge of + noun', where the noun refers to communications (questions, complaints, orders, requests) or overwhelming emotions.
常見錯誤
deluge — verb
- delugepresent simple I / you / we / they
- deluges3rd person singular
- deluging-ing form
- delugedpast simple
1. To suddenly cover a place with a huge body of water, such as from heavy rain or
To suddenly cover a place with a huge body of water, such as from heavy rain or a burst river.
Days of heavy rain deluged the coastal town, flooding homes and cutting off roads.
A broken water main deluged the street, and workers had to close it for repairs.
passive possible: 'the street was deluged by…'
Every spring, melting snow from the mountains deluged the valley and made the fields too wet to plant.
- drain
to remove water from a place
文法句型
deluge [place] with [water]
be deluged by [flood/rain]
用法筆記
Often used in the passive form: 'The area was deluged by floodwater.' The subject is usually a natural force (rain, river, storm) or a broken pipe.
常見錯誤
2. To send or give someone so many things, like messages, questions, or tasks, that
To send or give someone so many things, like messages, questions, or tasks, that they cannot deal with them all.
Viewers deluged the TV station with complaints after the popular show was cancelled without notice.
pattern: deluge [recipient] with [communications]
The professor was deluged with questions from students after announcing the surprise test.
passive: be deluged with [questions]
The company's email system crashed when customers deluged it with messages about the faulty product.
文法句型
deluge [someone] with [something]
be deluged with [messages/requests]
用法筆記
Typically appears as 'be deluged with/by [something]', where the subject is a person, organization, or system receiving communications. The things received are always plural countable nouns.