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

As a result, federal prosecutors, who typically handle a variety of crimes, have been inundated with immigration cases, two of the sources said. —Brad Heath, Joshua Schneyer, Marisa Taylor, Sarah N. Lynch, Mike Spector, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2025

Why has the Metroplex been inundated with high winds of late? —Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Mar. 2025

During a period of unusually heavy rain in Chad last year in the late summer and early fall, parts of the country were inundated with flooding so bad that houses began to collapse. —Ari Daniel, NPR, 19 Mar. 2025

In the mid-2010s — around when Johnston was finally treated for cancer that had been eating away at her body for years — she was inundated with alternative health advice sprouted by a number of influencers online. —Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 18 Mar. 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

Rhymes for inundate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

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