spate
Americannoun
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a sudden, almost overwhelming, outpouring.
a spate of angry words.
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British.
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a flood or inundation.
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a river flooding its banks.
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a sudden or heavy rainstorm.
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noun
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a fast flow, rush, or outpouring
a spate of words
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a sudden flood
the rivers were in spate
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a sudden heavy downpour
Etymology
Origin of spate
1400–50; late Middle English (north) < ?
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Any appearance on the network probably would have generated a spate of negative stories.
From Los Angeles Times
Often referred to as “living drugs,” they have driven a spate of acquisitions at larger companies.
From Barron's
The firm has faced investor angst and redemption requests after investors got spooked by a spate of high-profile corporate defaults.
In recent months, there has been a spate of thefts targeting stores that sell the cards, some of which are highly collectible.
From BBC
As Bangladesh votes on Thursday after a spate of deadly sectarian violence, Suchitra Biswas from the minority Hindu community yearns only for peace and harmony.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
