I. o ‧ ver ‧ flow 1 /ˌəʊvəˈfləʊ $ ˌoʊvərˈfloʊ/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive and transitive]
1 . if a river, lake, or container overflows, it is so full that the liquid or material inside flows over its edges:
The drains flooded and water overflowed down the main street.
The river had overflowed its banks.
overflow with
waste bins overflowing with plastic cups
2 . to have a lot of something
overflow with
The garden overflows with colour.
He was overflowing with good ideas.
3 . if a place overflows with people or people overflow into a place, there are too many of them to fit into it
overflow with
Hospitals were reported to be overflowing with dead and wounded.
overflow into
The house was full and people were overflowing into the street.
4 . to have a very strong feeling
overflow with
My heart was overflowing with gratitude.
5 . be filled to overflowing (with something) to be completely full:
One wall was filled to overflowing with books.
II. o ‧ ver ‧ flow 2 /ˈəʊvəfləʊ $ ˈoʊvərfloʊ/ BrE AmE noun
1 . [singular] the amount of something or the number of people that cannot be contained in a place because it is already full:
The overflow will be accommodated in another hotel.
overflow of
the overflow of water from the lake
2 . [countable] a pipe through which water flows out of a container when it becomes too full