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flood
This word carries a heavy sense of helplessness and lack of control. It describes a volume that exceeds the capacity of its container, whether that container is a riverbed, a room, or a human's emotional threshold. There is an inherent quality of suddenness and inevitability associated with the term. In a psychological or social context, it implies a saturation point. When a person is flooded with emotion or an office is flooded with emails, the focus is on the inability to process the incoming stream, leading to a state of paralysis or chaos.
Countable when referring to a specific event of inundation (three major floods). Uncountable when referring to the general phenomenon of water covering land.
Meanings
An overflow of water that submerges land.
"The river burst its banks and caused a massive flood."
To cover an area with a large amount of water.
"The broken pipe flooded the entire basement."