spate meaning and definition

SPATE noun

Definition of spate (noun)

1. (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
   • "a batch of letters"; "a deal of trouble"; "a lot of money"; "he made a mint on the stock market"; "see the rest of the winners in our huge passel of photos"; "it must have cost plenty"; "a slew of journalists"; "a wad of money"
   • synonyms: batch, deal, flock, good deal, great deal, hatful, heap, lot, mass, mess, mickle, mint, mountain, muckle, passel, peck, pile, plenty, pot, quite a little, raft, sight, slew, stack, tidy sum, wad
2. a sudden forceful flow
   • synonyms: rush, surge, upsurge
3. the occurrence of a water flow resulting from sudden rain or melting snow
   • synonyms: freshet