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Flood vs Torrent - What's the difference?

flood | torrent |

As nouns the difference between flood and torrent

is that flood is a (usually disastrous) overflow of water from a lake or other body of water due to excessive rainfall or other input of water while torrent is a violent flow, as of water, lava, etc.; a stream suddenly raised and running rapidly, as down a precipice.

As verbs the difference between flood and torrent

is that flood is to overflow while torrent is to download in a torrent.

As a proper noun Flood

is the flood referred to in the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament.

As an adjective torrent is

rolling or rushing in a rapid stream.

flood

English

(wikipedia flood)

Alternative forms

* floud (obsolete)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A (usually disastrous) overflow of water from a lake or other body of water due to excessive rainfall or other input of water.
  • *(John Milton) (1608-1674)
  • *:a covenant never to destroy the earth again by flood
  • *
  • *:Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods , were these travelers, of errand not wholly obvious to their fellows, yet of such sort as to call into query alike the nature of their errand and their own relations.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-29, volume=407, issue=8842, page=28, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= High and wet , passage=Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale. The early, intense onset of the monsoon on June 14th swelled rivers, washing away roads, bridges, hotels and even whole villages. Rock-filled torrents smashed vehicles and homes, burying victims under rubble and sludge.}}
  • (lb) A large number or quantity of anything appearing more rapidly than can easily be dealt with.
  • :
  • The flowing in of the tide, opposed to the ebb.
  • *(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
  • *:There is a tide in the affairs of men, / Which, taken at the flood , leads on to fortune.
  • A floodlight.
  • Menstrual discharge; menses.
  • :(Harvey)

    • Related terms

    * flood-hit * outburst flood

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To overflow.
  • To cover or partly fill as if by a flood.
    • The floor was flooded with beer.
    They flooded the room with sewage.
  • (figuratively) To provide (someone or something) with a larger number or quantity of something than cannot easily be dealt with.
    • The station's switchboard was flooded with listeners making complaints.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=October 1 , author=David Ornstein , title=Blackburn 0 - 4 Man City , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=Blackburn offered nothing going forward in the opening period and that continued after the break, encouraging City to flood forward.}}
  • (Internet, computing) To paste numerous lines of text to a chat system in order to disrupt the conversation.

    • Synonyms

    * (overflow) overfill * (cover) inundate * (provide with large number) inundate, swamp, deluge

    References

    English ergative verbs ----

    torrent

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) torrent

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A violent flow, as of water, lava, etc.; a stream suddenly raised and running rapidly, as down a precipice.
  • * (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
    • The roaring torrent is deep and wide.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-29, volume=407, issue=8842, page=28, magazine=(The Economist)
    • , title= High and wet , passage=Floods in northern India, mostly in the small state of Uttarakhand, have wrought disaster on an enormous scale.
  • (figurative) A large amount or stream of something.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=December 21, author=Helen Pidd, work=the Guardian
    • , title= Europeans migrate south as continent drifts deeper into crisis , passage=A new stream of migrants is leaving the continent. It threatens to become a torrent if the debt crisis continues to worsen.}}
  • * {{quote-book, passage=The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees, / The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, / The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor ...
    • , title=, author=Alfred Noyes, year=1906}}
    Derived terms
    * torrential * torrentiality * torrentially

    See also

    * barrage * inundate * deluge * torrential

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Rolling or rushing in a rapid stream.
  • * Milton
    • Waves of torrent fire.

    Etymology 2

    From BitTorrent and the file extension it uses for metadata (.torrent).

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (Internet, file sharing) A set of files obtainable through a peer-to-peer network, especially BitTorrent.
    • I got a torrent of the complete works of Shakespeare the other day; I'm not sure why.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (internet slang) To download in a torrent.
    • The video rental place didn't have the film I was after, but I managed to torrent it.
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