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Overfill vs Overflow - What's the difference?

overfill | overflow |

As verbs the difference between overfill and overflow

is that overfill is to fill beyond capacity or beyond what is appropriate while overflow is to flow over the brim of (a container).

As nouns the difference between overfill and overflow

is that overfill is an instance of overfilling while overflow is the spillage resultant from overflow; excess.

overfill

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • To fill beyond capacity or beyond what is appropriate.

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • An instance of overfilling.

    • overflow

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The spillage resultant from overflow; excess.
  • Outlet for escape of excess material.
  • (computing) The situation where a value exceeds the available numeric range.

    • Derived terms

    * overflow hole

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To flow over the brim of (a container).
    • The river overflowed the levee.
  • To cover with a liquid, literally or figuratively.
    • The flash flood overflowed most of the parkland and some homes.
  • * 1851 , Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
    • So when they were working that evening at the pumps, there was on this head no small gamesomeness slily going on among them, as they stood with their feet continually overflowed by the rippling clear water
  • To cause an overflow. (rfex)
  • To flow over the edge of a container.
    • The waters overflowed into the Ninth Ward.
  • To exceed limits or capacity.
    • The hospital ER was overflowing with flu cases.
  • # (computing, ambitransitive) To exceed the available numeric range.
  • Calculating 255+1 will overflow an eight-bit byte.
  • To be superabundant; to abound.
    • (Rogers)

    Derived terms

    * buffer overflow * underflow English heteronyms ----