Synonyms

flash flood

American

noun

a sudden and destructive rush of water down a narrow gully or over a sloping surface, caused by heavy rainfall.

flash flood British

noun

a sudden short-lived torrent, usually caused by a heavy storm, esp in desert regions

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

flash flood Scientific

/ flăsh /

A sudden, localized flood of great volume and short duration, typically caused by unusually heavy rain in a semiarid area. Flash floods can reach their peak volume in a matter of a few minutes and often carry large loads of mud and rock fragments.

Related Words

See flood.

Etymology

Origin of flash flood

First recorded in 1935–40

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.

Much of Asia is in its annual monsoon season, which often brings heavy rain, triggering landslides and flash floods.

From Barron's

The researchers propose that after the dinosaurs died, their bodies dried in the sun before being rapidly buried in sudden flash floods.

From Science Daily

The annual monsoon season, typically between June and September, often brings heavy rain, triggering landslides and flash floods.

From Barron's

The annual monsoon season, typically between June and September, often brings heavy rains, triggering landslides and flash floods.

From Barron's

The annual monsoon season, typically between June and September, often brings heavy rains, triggering landslides, flash floods and waterborne diseases.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023