Meaning & use
flood zone
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
an area of land that is likely to be covered by water when a river rises or when there is heavy rain.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a flood zone' or 'flood zones'. It is often used with 'in': 'in a flood zone'.
Patterns
- in a flood zone
- a flood zone area
Many homes in the flood zone were damaged by the storm.
The government is advising people not to build in the flood zone.
Insurance is more expensive for houses in a flood zone.
Word forms
| plural | flood zones |
|---|
Common combinations
- in a flood zone
- Their new house is in a flood zone, so they pay higher insurance.
- flood zone map
- Check the flood zone map before you buy the land.
- designated flood zone
- This area is a designated flood zone, so building is restricted.
Synonyms and how they differ
- flood plain
- This is more technical and usually means the flat land next to a river that floods naturally; a flood zone can also include areas flooded by heavy rain or sea water.
Word family
- flood noun
- A large amount of water covering land that is usually dry.
- flooding noun
- The event of water covering land.
Commonly confused: flood zone or flood plain?
flood zone vs flood plain
A flood plain is the flat land beside a river that often floods. A flood zone is a broader official area that may flood for any reason.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'flood zone' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A flood zone is an area likely to flood, so 'They built their house in a flood zone...' is correct. The other options use it with unrelated meanings or as a verb, which is not standard.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “flood zone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.