- spate of something a large number of things, which are usually unpleasant, that happen suddenly within a short period of time
- The bombing was the latest in a spate of terrorist attacks.
- a recent spate of killings/thefts
Word Originlate Middle English (originally Scots and northern English in the sense ‘flood, inundation’): of unknown origin.
Idioms
See spate in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryin (full) spate
- (especially British English) (of a river) containing more water and flowing more strongly than usual
- After heavy rain, the river was in spate.
- (figurative) Celia was in full spate (= completely involved in talking and not likely to stop or able to be interrupted).
Check pronunciation:
spate