floods
floods — noun
- floodssingular
- floodsesplural
1. A situation in which water rises over its usual boundaries and spreads across gr
A situation in which water rises over its usual boundaries and spreads across ground that is not normally wet, often damaging property, roads, and farmland.
After three days of heavy rain, floods swept through the village and damaged more than fifty homes.
collocation: floods swept through
The government sent boats and rescue workers to help people trapped by the floods.
passive: trapped by the floods
Meteorologists warned that the floods could get worse if the rain did not stop by Saturday.
The town built a new concrete wall along the river to protect itself from future floods.
Floods in the coastal region forced thousands of families to leave their homes last winter.
- deluge
More dramatic and literary; suggests a very sudden and overwhelming amount of water.
- inundation
Formal or technical term; often used in official reports or scientific writing.
- drought
A long period with little or no rain, the opposite of having too much water.
文法句型
flood + verb (swept through, damaged, destroyed)
用法筆記
Commonly used with verbs like 'sweep through', 'hit', 'strike', or 'cause damage'. Often paired with 'heavy rain', 'storm', or 'dam break' as the cause.
常見錯誤
2. A state in which someone cries very heavily, producing a large amount of tears.
A state in which someone cries very heavily, producing a large amount of tears.
Yasmin was in floods of tears after watching the final scene of the sad movie.
pattern: in floods of tears
The little boy burst into floods of tears when he fell off his new bicycle.
pattern: burst into floods of tears
Dahlia tried to comfort her friend, who was in floods of tears over the breakup.
Greta was in floods of tears at the airport as she said goodbye to her family.
文法句型
in floods of tears
burst into floods of tears
用法筆記
Always used in the fixed phrase 'floods of tears', almost always after the verb 'be' ('be in floods of tears') or 'burst into floods of tears'. Never used without 'of tears'.
常見錯誤
3. In the biblical story, the flood that God sent to punish humanity by covering th
In the biblical story, the flood that God sent to punish humanity by covering the whole world, sparing only Noah, his family, and the animals in the ark.
According to the Bible, Noah built a large wooden boat to survive the Flood.
proper noun: the Flood
Stories about a great flood appear in the ancient writings of many different cultures around the world.
phrase: a great flood
In the biblical story, the Flood lasted for forty days and forty nights without stopping.
Painters and writers have created artworks about the Flood for hundreds of years.
- the Deluge
A formal or literary term for the biblical Flood, from Latin 'diluvium' meaning flood.
文法句型
the Flood
用法筆記
When referring to the specific event in the Bible, capitalize as 'the Flood' or 'the Great Flood'. When used generically about similar stories in other cultures, use lowercase 'a great flood'.
常見錯誤
4. A very large number of things or people that arrive or appear at the same time,
A very large number of things or people that arrive or appear at the same time, often more than can be dealt with easily.
The newspaper received a flood of angry letters from readers who disagreed with the article.
pattern: a flood of + noun (letters)
A flood of job applications arrived after the company posted the position online.
The hospital was not ready for the sudden flood of patients after the factory accident.
Bao's birthday post on social media received a flood of likes within the first hour.
The school was overwhelmed by a flood of new students at the start of the term.
- trickle
A very small amount arriving slowly, the opposite of a large sudden flow.
文法句型
a flood of + noun (letters, complaints, applications, refugees, tourists)
用法筆記
Always used in the singular pattern 'a flood of + [plural noun]'. The noun that follows is usually something that arrives or is sent: letters, emails, complaints, applications, refugees, tourists, etc.
常見錯誤
floods — verb
- floodspresent simple I / you / we / they
- floodses3rd person singular
- floodsing-ing form
- floodsedpast simple
1. To cover or fill a place with so much water that the area becomes partly or comp
To cover or fill a place with so much water that the area becomes partly or completely underwater, often causing harm or inconvenience.
Heavy rain flooded the basement of the old apartment building last night.
transitive: flood + place
The river flooded several streets after the dam broke upstream.
transitive: river + flood + place
When the pipe burst, hot water flooded the kitchen floor within minutes.
The village floods every spring when the snow on the mountain melts.
The farmer's fields were flooded after the storm, ruining most of the wheat crop.
- drain
To remove water from a place, the opposite of flooding.
文法句型
flood + noun (place/area)
be flooded
flood (without object)
用法筆記
Can be used transitively (flood + place) or intransitively (the river floods). The passive form 'be/get flooded' is very common when describing damage.
常見錯誤
2. To arrive or spread somewhere in extremely large numbers, completely filling the
To arrive or spread somewhere in extremely large numbers, completely filling the available space.
Excited fans flooded the stadium hours before the concert was due to start.
transitive: flood + place (people as subject)
Job applications flooded the company's email system after the advertisement went online.
Tourists flood the small coastal town every summer during the music festival.
Sunlight flooded the room when Christopher opened the curtains wide.
Refugees flooded across the border after the fighting in the capital intensified.
文法句型
flood + noun (place)
flood into + noun
flood through + noun
用法筆記
Subject can be people, animals, things (applications, emails), or even abstract concepts (light, memories). Often followed by a preposition: 'into', 'through', 'across'.
常見錯誤
3. To make a product so widely available in a particular market that prices drop or
To make a product so widely available in a particular market that prices drop or competing products struggle to be sold.
Cheap imported goods flooded the local market, forcing many small shops to close down.
pattern: goods flooded the market
The company flooded stores with their new smartphone before the holiday shopping season.
pattern: flood + [place] + with + [goods]
Foreign wine flooded the domestic market, making it hard for local vineyards to survive.
When the trade agreement was signed, cheap electronics flooded the country from overseas factories.
文法句型
flood + noun (market/area) + with + noun (goods/products)
用法筆記
Almost always used in a business or economics context. The object is typically 'market', 'stores', or a country/region. The phrase 'flood the market with [product]' is the most common pattern.