1 B1 neutral
To force people to leave their homes or a place because of severe flooding.
"Hundreds of families were flooded out of their homes after the river burst its banks."
separable
flood out
B1 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To force people or animals to leave because of flooding; or for a large volume of something to pour out.
In plain English
When water from a flood fills a place and forces people to leave, or when lots of something comes pouring out all at once.
What does "flood out" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 neutral
For a large volume of people, water, or things to pour out of a place rapidly.
"Spectators flooded out of the stadium as soon as the final whistle blew."
3 B2 idiomatic neutral
To overwhelm a system or person with a large volume of messages, calls, or data.
"The news story flooded out their email server within hours of publication."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To flood (fill with water) so something/someone must go out — transparent.
Actually means
When water from a flood fills a place and forces people to leave, or when lots of something comes pouring out all at once.
Usage tip
The 'displaced by flooding' sense is the most common and is heard frequently in news reports. The intransitive sense ('people flooded out') is also natural. Can also mean to overwhelm a system with incoming traffic or messages.
Words that pair with "flood out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
residents homes families basement community calls
How to conjugate "flood out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
flood out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
floods out
he/she/it
Past simple
flooded out
yesterday
Past participle
flooded out
have + pp
-ing form
flooding out
continuous
Hear "flood out" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "flood out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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