spate

/speɪt/

/speɪt/

Other forms: spates

A spate is a large number. If a spate of new coffee shops open in your neighborhood, it’ll be easy for you to stay wide awake. You’ll have easy access to plenty of caffeine.

Though it’s now used to describe a large number or unusually large amount of something, the word spate originally described a sudden flood of water, such as a river overflowing after a downpour. Thinking about being overwhelmed by a sudden rush of water will help you remember to use spate when you encounter an unexpected overflow of anything, whether it’s books, robberies, celebrity break-ups, or corporate mergers.

Definitions of spate

1. noun

   a sudden forceful flow
   synonyms: rush, surge, upsurge

   types:

   debris storm, debris surge

   the sudden spread of dust and debris from a collapsing building

   onrush

   a forceful forward rush or flow

   type of:

   flow, flowing

   the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
2. noun

   (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
   synonyms: batch, deal, flock, good deal, great deal, hatful, heap, lot, mass, mess, mickle, mint, mountain, muckle, passel, peck, pile, plenty, pot, quite a little, raft, sight, slew, stack, tidy sum, wad

   types:

   barrage, deluge, flood, flurry, inundation, torrent

   an overwhelming number or amount

   haymow

   a mass of hay piled up in a barn for preservation

   type of:

   large indefinite amount, large indefinite quantity

   an indefinite quantity that is above the average in size or magnitude
3. noun

   the occurrence of a water flow resulting from sudden rain or melting snow
   synonyms: freshet

   type of:

   flow, flowing

   the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)