overflow

verb (TOO FULL)

/ˌəʊ.vəˈfləʊ/

/ˌoʊ.vɚˈfloʊ/

Definition

C2 [I or T] When a liquid overflows, it flows over the edges of a container, etc. because there is too much of it: The milk overflowed when I poured it into the jug. Because of heavy rain, the river may overflow its banks.Movement of liquids › [I or T] If a container or a place overflows, whatever is inside it starts coming out because it is too full: Oh no, the bath is overflowing all over the floor. The bin was overflowing with rubbish.Movement of liquids C2 [I] When a place overflows, or people or things overflow from somewhere, some people or things have to come out because it cannot contain them all: The bar was so full that people were overflowing into/onto the street. The train was (full to) overflowing (= so full that there was not space for any more passengers). His room is overflowing with books.Too much and unnecessary to overflowing › so that water or another substance is almost coming over the top: Someone has filled the bath (full) to overflowing.Full

(Definition of overflow verb (TOO FULL) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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