inundate

verb

in·​un·​date ˈi-(ˌ)nən-ˌdāt 

inundated; inundating

transitive verb

1

: overwhelm

was inundated with phone calls

2

: to cover with a flood : overflow

inundation

ˌi-(ˌ)nən-ˈdā-shən 

noun

inundator

ˈi-(ˌ)nən-ˌdā-tər 

noun

inundatory

i-ˈnən-də-ˌtȯr-ē 

adjective

Did you know?

In the summer of 1993, record rains in the Midwest caused the Mississippi River to overflow its banks, break through levees, and inundate the entire countryside; such an inundation hadn't been seen for at least a hundred years. By contrast, the Nile River inundated its entire valley every year, bringing the rich black silt that made the valley one of the most fertile places on earth. (The inundations ceased with the completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1970.) Whenever a critical issue is being debated, the White House and Congressional offices are inundated with phone calls and emails, just as a town may be inundated with complaints when it starts charging a fee for garbage pickup.

Synonyms

• deluge
• drown
• engulf
• flood
• gulf
• overflow
• overwhelm
• submerge
• submerse
• swamp

Examples of inundate in a Sentence

Rising rivers could inundate low-lying areas.

water from the overflowing bathtub inundated the bathroom floor

Recent Examples on the Web

Up to 3 feet of storm surge could inundate parts of the Cayman Islands, while up to 9 feet of dangerous surge is possible in western Cuba. —Mary Gilbert, CNN, 4 Nov. 2024

Flights were canceled, roadways were inundated, and a high speed train with 300 passengers derailed. —Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 31 Oct. 2024

Consumers are inundated with ads across social media platforms and while many appreciate the convenience of purchasing online from their phones, there has been a noticeable shift toward ROPO (Research Online, Purchase Offline). —Holly Eve, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

Then ordinary Moldovans complained their Facebook feeds were being inundated with political, often anti-government ads launched by pages with Vietnamese names. —Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 19 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin inundatus, past participle of inundare, from in- + unda wave — more at water

First Known Use

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

inundate

verb

in·​un·​date ˈin-(ˌ)ən-ˌdāt 

inundated; inundating

1

: to cover with a flood : deluge entry 1

2

: overwhelm sense 2

inundated with email

inundation

ˌin-(ˌ)ən-ˈdā-shən 

noun