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

Listen to this article At least eight people were killed and thousands remained without power Sunday as rainfall and floodwaters inundated Kentucky. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 16 Feb. 2025

And in the days since, his mother's restaurant in Florida has been inundated with negative reviews on Yelp. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 14 Feb. 2025

Even in a volatile market inundated with the latest policy changes, one corporate event last week highlighted a growing trend that may help investors through the rest of the year. —Sarah Min, CNBC, 12 Feb. 2025

Mortgage fallout If you’ve been inundated with emails, texts and phone solicitations after applying for a mortgage, here’s why: Your lender’s competitors regularly purchase customer information from the credit agencies lenders use. —Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2025

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