avalanche: Meaning and Definition of

av•a•lanche

1. a large mass of snow, ice, etc., detached from a mountain slope and sliding or falling suddenly downward.
2. anything like an avalanche in suddenness and overwhelming quantity: an avalanche of misfortunes; an avalanche of fan mail.
3. Also calleda cumulative ionization process in which the ions and electrons of one generation undergo collisions that produce a greater number of ions and electrons in succeeding generations.

1. to come down in, or like, an avalanche.

1. to overwhelm with an extremely large amount of anything; swamp.