# flooding

Pronunciation: say "FLUD-ing" /ˈflʌdɪŋ/

## Noun

1. An overflow or sudden gush of water spilling onto ground that is normally dry.
   - Simple: A sudden rush or overflow of water onto land or into a space.
   - _Coastal towns brace for flooding whenever a storm surge coincides with high tide._
   - _Residents waded through knee-deep flooding to reach the evacuation buses._
3. A type of therapy that treats a phobia by exposing the patient to the feared object all at once, rather than gradually.
   - Simple: A way of treating a strong fear by facing the scary thing all at once instead of step by step.
   - _The clinic offered flooding to patients whose spider phobia had not responded to slower methods._
   - _During flooding, the man with a fear of heights spent an hour on a rooftop terrace until his panic faded._
4. A state of emotional overwhelm that can tip into a primal sense of rage or panic.
   - Simple: A state where strong emotions take over completely and turn into rage or panic.
   - _Under relentless pressure, flooding set in and he could no longer reason or speak calmly._
   - _She recognized the early signs of flooding and stepped away before her panic turned to rage._

## Verb

2. Present participle of flood. — present participle and gerund of flood
   - Simple: Present participle of flood. Use this -ing form when the action is happening right now.
   - _The swollen river is flooding nearby farmland faster than the levees can hold._
   - _Emergency crews worked all night as seawater kept flooding the tunnels._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/flooding (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).