deluge
/'delju:dʤ/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A great flood of water; an inundation: An overwhelming, often destructive, overflow of water onto normally dry land.
- A heavy, continuous downpour of rain: A torrential rainstorm.
- An overwhelming number or amount of things arriving at once: A sudden, vast quantity of something non-physical, such as information, requests, or criticism.
Verb:
- To flood or inundate with water: To cover completely with water.
- To overwhelm with a large amount of something: To burden or swamp someone or something with a great quantity of items, tasks, or information.
Examples of Usage
Noun:
- The village was destroyed by the deluge. (The village was destroyed by the great flood.)
- We were caught in a sudden deluge on our way home. (We were caught in a sudden heavy rainstorm on our way home.)
- The office received a deluge of complaints after the error. (The office received an overwhelming number of complaints after the error.)
Verb:
- The storm deluged the coastal town, submerging streets. (The storm flooded the coastal town, submerging streets.)
- She was deluged with work as the deadline approached. (She was overwhelmed with work as the deadline approached.)
- His mind was deluged with memories. (His mind was flooded with memories.)
Advanced Usage
- Biblical/Historical Reference: "The Deluge" (often capitalized) specifically refers to the great flood described in the Bible in the story of Noah's Ark.
- Many cultures have myths about a great Deluge.
- Figurative Use for Information: Often used to describe an overwhelming amount of digital communication or data.
- In the digital age, we face a constant deluge of information.
Variants and Related Words
- Inundation (n): A synonym for flood or overwhelming amount.
- Torrent (n): A strong and fast-moving stream of water or other liquid; can also mean a heavy downpour or an overwhelming outpouring (e.g., a torrent of abuse).
- Flood (n/v): A more common synonym for both the water event and the concept of being overwhelmed.
- Cataclysm (n): A large-scale and violent event in the natural world, which can include a great flood.
Synonyms
- Noun: Flood, inundation, overflow, torrent, downpour, avalanche, barrage, cascade.
- Verb: Flood, inundate, swamp, overwhelm, engulf, submerge.
Related Phrases
- A deluge of: This is the standard collocation used to introduce the overwhelming thing.
- A deluge of applications.
- A deluge of phone calls.
Idioms
- Weather the deluge: To survive or endure an overwhelming period or event. (This is an adaptation of the more common idiom "weather the storm.")
- The small company struggled to weather the deluge of negative publicity.
Noun
- the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land
- plains fertilized by annual inundations
- a heavy rain
- an overwhelming number or amount
- a flood of requests
- a torrent of abuse
Verb
- fill or cover completely, usually with water
- charge someone with too many tasks
- fill quickly beyond capacity; as with a liquid
- the basement was inundated after the storm
- The images flooded his mind