torrent

Also found in: Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Related to torrent: BitTorrent

tor·rent

(tôr′ənt, tŏr′-)

1. A turbulent, swift-flowing stream.

2. A heavy downpour; a deluge.

3. A heavy, uncontrolled flow: a torrent of insults; torrents of information.

[Latin torrēns, torrent-, from present participle of torrēre, to burn; see ters- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

torrent

(ˈtɒrənt)

1. (Physical Geography) a fast, voluminous, or violent stream of water or other liquid

2. an overwhelming flow of thoughts, words, sound, etc

3. (Computer Science) computing a file that controls the transfer of data in a BitTorrent system. See BitTorrent

adj

rare like or relating to a torrent

[C17: from French, from Latin torrēns (noun), from torrēns (adjective) burning, from torrēre to burn]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

tor•rent

(ˈtɔr ənt, ˈtɒr-)

n.

1. a stream of water flowing with great rapidity and violence.

2. a rushing or abundant stream of anything.

3. a violent downpour of rain.

adj.

4. torrential.

[1595–1605; < Latin torrent-, s. of torrēns seething, literally, burning, present participle of torrēre to burn]

Torrent

an overflowing river, hence, a rapid flood.

Examples: torrent of abuse, 1784; of eloquence; of ivy, 1864; of lace, 1880; of lava, 1858; of notes, 1826; of oaths; of passions, 1647; of rain, 1806; of smoke, 1821; of vices; of wind, 1782; of words.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	torrent - a heavy rain downpour, pelter, soaker, cloudburst, deluge, waterspout rain, rainfall - water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
	2.	torrent - a violently fast stream of water (or other liquid); "the houses were swept away in the torrent" violent stream current, stream - a steady flow of a fluid (usually from natural causes); "the raft floated downstream on the current"; "he felt a stream of air"; "the hose ejected a stream of water"
	3.	torrent - an overwhelming number or amount; "a flood of requests"; "a torrent of abuse" deluge, flood, inundation good deal, great deal, hatful, lot, muckle, passel, peck, mickle, mint, quite a little, slew, spate, tidy sum, wad, stack, raft, mountain, pile, plenty, mass, batch, heap, deal, flock, pot, mess, sight - (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"

torrent

noun

1. stream, flow, rush, flood, tide, spate, cascade, gush, effusion, inundation A torrent of water rushed into the reservoir.

2. downpour, flood, shower, deluge, rainstorm The rain came down in torrents.

3. outburst, stream, barrage, hail, spate, outpouring, effusion He directed a torrent of abuse at me.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

torrent

noun

An abundant, usually overwhelming flow or fall, as of a river or rain:

alluvion, cataclysm, cataract, deluge, downpour, flood, freshet, inundation, Niagara, overflow.

Chiefly British: spate.

Translations

سَيْل، وابِل

přívalproud

skybrudskylle

stríîur straumur

pilantis kaip iš kibiro

straume

stri strøm voldsomt regnskyll

selşiddetli akıntı

不断谩骂倾盆大雨激流

torrent

[ˈtɒrənt] N (lit, fig) → torrente m
it rained in torrents → llovía a cántaros
a torrent of abuse → un torrente de insultos, una sarta de injurias

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

torrent

[ˈtɒrənt] n

[water] → torrent m
The rain came down in torrents → Il pleuvait à torrent., Il pleuvait à torrents.

a torrent of abuse → un torrent d'insultes

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

torrent

n (= river) → reißender Strom; (fig, of lava) → Strom m; (of words, insults) → Sturzbach m, → Schwall m, → Flut f; the rain came down in torrents → der Regen kam in wahren Sturzbächen herunter; a torrent of abuse → ein Schwall m → von Beschimpfungen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

torrent

[ˈtɒr/ənt] n (also fig) → torrente m
we got caught in a torrent of rain → una pioggia torrenziale ci ha sorpresi

torrent

(ˈtorənt) noun

a rushing stream. The rain fell in torrents; She attacked him with a torrent of abuse.

torrential (təˈrenʃəl) adjective

of, or like, a torrent. torrential rain; The rain was torrential.

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

But the waning day had such an inviting influence that we did not remain housed many moments, but struck out and followed a roaring torrent of ice-water up to its far source in a sort of little grass-carpeted parlor, walled in all around by vast precipices and overlooked by clustering summits of ice.

View in context

This rattling noise, night and day, may be heard along the whole course of the torrent. The sound spoke eloquently to the geologist; the thousands and thousands of stones, which, striking against each other, made the one dull uniform sound, were all hurrying in one direction.

View in context

From childhood's hour I have not been As others were - I have not seen As others saw - I could not bring My passions from a common spring - From the same source I have not taken My sorrow - I could not awaken My heart to joy at the same tone - And all I lov'd - I lov'd alone - Then - in my childhood - in the dawn Of a most stormy life - was drawn From ev'ry depth of good and ill The mystery which binds me still - From the torrent, or the fountain - From the red cliff of the mountain - From the sun that 'round me roll'd In its autumn tint of gold - From the lightning in the sky As it pass'd me flying by - From the thunder, and the storm - And the cloud that took the form(When the rest of Heaven was blue) Of a demon in my view -

View in context

Then followed a torrent of laughter and cheers: Then the ominous words "It's a Boo-"

View in context

So much to give the reader some idea of the secret watering-place of Yellowsands, situated at the mouth of that romantic little torrent, the river Sly.

View in context

There was no use of interrupting them, for, having taken a particular direction, nothing can moderate and change their course; it is a torrent of living flesh which no dam could contain.

View in context

In vain we cleave the torrent's thread with steel, In vain we drink to drown the grief we feel; When man's desire with fate doth war this, this avails alone -- To hoist the sail and let the gale and the waters bear us on.

View in context

She discharged a torrent of abuse on the master, and advised her mistress to quit all thoughts of a man who had never shown himself deserving of her.

View in context

The night that I have in memory was dark, the creek a torrent, swollen by a recent storm.

View in context

The electric light went out suddenly, and two enormous waterspouts broke over the bridge of the frigate, rushing like a torrent from stem to stern, overthrowing men, and breaking the lashings of the spars.

View in context

It was very dark indeed in the wood, for the lightning was now becoming infrequent, and the hail, which was pouring down in a torrent, fell in columns through the gaps in the heavy foliage.

View in context

In another direction were to be seen some of the sources of the Oregon, or Columbia, flowing to the northwest, past those towering landmarks the Three Tetons, and pouring down into the great lava plain; while, almost at the captain's feet, the Green River, or Colorado of the West, set forth on its wandering pilgrimage to the Gulf of California; at first a mere mountain torrent, dashing northward over a crag and precipice, in a succession of cascades, and tumbling into the plain where, expanding into an ample river, it circled away to the south, and after alternately shining out and disappearing in the mazes of the vast landscape, was finally lost in a horizon of mountains.