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Meaning & use

overflow with something

phrase·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌəʊvəˈfləʊ wɪð ˌsʌmθɪŋ/
US/ˌoʊvərˈfloʊ wɪð ˌsʌmθɪŋ/

Meanings

  1. phrasefixed phrase

    to be completely filled with a strong feeling that is hard to control

    Grammar: Used with 'with' plus the feeling: overflow with gratitude. The subject is usually a person or a group of people.

    Patterns

    • overflow with joy
    • overflow with gratitude
    • overflow with emotion

    When she saw her old friends at the airport, she overflowed with happiness.

    The whole team overflowed with pride after winning the championship.

    His voice overflowed with excitement as he told us the news.

  2. phrasefixed phrase

    to contain so much of something that it cannot hold any more

    Grammar: Often used for containers, rooms, or places: the box overflowed with toys. The thing that fills it comes after 'with'.

    Patterns

    • overflow with water
    • overflow with people
    • overflow with things

    The bathtub overflowed with water and flooded the bathroom floor.

    After the concert, the streets overflowed with happy fans.

    Her closet overflows with clothes she never wears.

Common combinations

overflow with joy
The children overflowed with joy when they saw the snow.
overflow with gratitude
She overflowed with gratitude after receiving so much help.
overflow with excitement
The crowd overflowed with excitement before the game started.
overflow with pride
His parents overflowed with pride at his graduation.

Synonyms and how they differ

brim with
Very similar, but 'brim with' often suggests a container filled to the very top and is slightly more literary.
be full of
More general and neutral; it does not suggest that the feeling or amount is too strong to control.
teem with
Used mostly for large numbers of people, animals, or things moving around, not for emotions.

Opposites

be empty oflack

Word family

overflow verb
To flow over the edge or to be too much for a space.
overflow noun
An amount that is too much, or a pipe or hole that lets extra liquid out.
overflowing adjective
Completely full; often used before a noun, as in 'an overflowing cup'.

Commonly confused: overflow with something or overfly?

overflow with something vs overfly

A different verb meaning to fly over a place. It sounds a little similar but has no connection with being full.

Practice

The little girl ______ with happiness when she got a puppy for her birthday.

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