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Surplus vs Overflow - What's the difference?

surplus | overflow |

As nouns the difference between surplus and overflow

is that surplus is that which remains when use or need is satisfied, or when a limit is reached; excess; overplus while overflow is the spillage resultant from overflow; excess.

As an adjective surplus

is being or constituting a surplus; more than sufficient; as, surplus revenues; surplus population; surplus words.

As a verb overflow is

to flow over the brim of (a container).

surplus

English

Noun

(en-noun)
  • That which remains when use or need is satisfied, or when a limit is reached; excess; overplus.
  • Specifically, an amount in the public treasury at any time greater than is required for the ordinary purposes of the government.
  • (legal) The remainder of a fund appropriated for a particular purpose.
  • (legal) assets left after liabilities and debts, including capital stock have been deducted.

    • Antonyms

    * lack * deficit

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Being or constituting a surplus; more than sufficient; as, surplus revenues; surplus population; surplus words.
  • * {{quote-magazine, title=A better waterworks, date=2013-06-01, volume=407, issue=8838
    • , page=5 (Technology Quarterly), magazine=(The Economist) citation , passage=An artificial kidney these days still means a refrigerator-sized dialysis machine. Such devices mimic the way real kidneys cleanse blood and eject impurities and surplus water as urine.}}

    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 ----