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

It’s been rising and falling ever since, but has yet to disappear entirely outside of the top 40—except for a short stay around the Christmas holiday when the ranking was inundated with seasonal tunes. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025

The Spokane area in eastern Washington was inundated with 3 to 6 inches of rain this weekend, washing out roads. —Max Golembo, ABC News, 24 Feb. 2025

Sometimes, this information also leads to societal trauma, with Russians and Ukrainians living far from the frontlines inundated with graphic and upsetting content about what’s happening to their forces. —Mick Ryan, Foreign Affairs, 21 Feb. 2025

Though our attention spans were adolescent, we weren't inundated by a boatload of options for everything in our lives, the way kids are today. —Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 21 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

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