inundated; inundating
Synonyms of inundate

transitive verb

1
: overwhelm
was inundated with phone calls
2
: to cover with a flood : overflow

inundation

2 of 2

noun

plural -s
1
: a rising and spreading of water over land not usually submerged : flood
the threat of inundation by the sea—Lewis Mumford
his tears were not drops but a little inundation down his cheeks—Glenway Wescott
fossil shells give evidence of prehistoric inundations
2
: deluge, swarm
an inundation of telegrams
an inundation of tourists

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.

Examples of inundate in a Sentence

Verb Rising rivers could inundate low-lying areas. water from the overflowing bathtub inundated the bathroom floor
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
High tides inundated Southern California communities with water on Monday, flooding streets from Newport Beach to Long Beach, as the region braces for days of coastal flooding from near-record or record-high sea levels this week. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026 Cardenas in Bakersfield, for example, said he has been inundated with Valadao campaign advertisements but knows little about Villegas. — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 26 Oct. 2026 The store was inundated with a foot of water during a smaller king tide event last month. — Ted Scouten, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 Further calamity struck in June 2023 when floodwaters inundated the city after the Kakhovka Dam collapsed from an explosion that an Associated Press investigation found was likely caused by the Russian military, killing hundreds of residents. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for inundate

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Noun

Middle English inundacion, from Latin inundation-, inundatio, from inundatus (past participle of inundare) + -ion-, -io -ion

First Known Use

Verb

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of inundate was in 1590

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inundate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inundate. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

inundated; inundating
1
: to cover with a flood : deluge entry 1
2
: overwhelm sense 2
inundated with email
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