deluge

[del-yooj, -yoozh, del-ooj, -oozh, dih-looj, -loozh]

noun

1. a great flood of water; inundation; flood.

2. a drenching rain; downpour.

3. anything that overwhelms like a flood.

   a deluge of mail.

   Synonyms: catastrophe, cataclysm

4. the Deluge. flood.

verb (used with object)

deluged, deluging 

1. to flood; inundate.

2. to overrun; overwhelm.

   She was deluged with congratulatory letters.

deluge

¹

/ ˈdɛljuːdʒ /

noun

1. a great flood of water

2. torrential rain; downpour

3. an overwhelming rush or number

   a deluge of requests

verb

1. to flood, as with water; soak, swamp, or drown

2. to overwhelm or overrun; inundate

Deluge

²

/ ˈdɛljuːdʒ /

noun

1. another name for the Flood

Other Word Forms

• undeluged adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of deluge¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin dīluvium “flood,” equivalent to dīluv-, base of dīluere “to wash away, dissolve” ( dī- di ² + -luere, combining form of lavere “to wash”) + -ium -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of deluge¹

C14: from Old French, from Latin dīluvium a washing away, flood, from dīluere to wash away, drench, from di- _dis- ¹ + -luere, from lavere to wash

Synonym Study

See flood.

Example Sentences

In September, The Times newspaper reported that Rabbi Deutsch left his Leeds home under advice from West Yorkshire police following a deluge of threats linked to his work with the IDF.

From BBC

Ortega and his team — the largest federal public defender’s office in the country — are dealing with a deluge of immigration-related cases filed by Essayli.

From Los Angeles Times

Once the deluge of lawsuits started, county lawyers had just one goal: to make the cases go away without the county going bankrupt.

From Los Angeles Times

But after days of focus on the gender identity of the suspect’s alleged partner, the far-right’s response has also fueled a deluge of anti-trans rhetoric that could beget more violence.

From Salon

Tangible issues, including their insurance coverage and savings, mix with intangibles like family dynamics, the trauma of losing a home and the deluge of choices needed to build a new one.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• douse 
• drench 
• engulf 
• flood 
• overflow 
• overrun 
• overwhelm 
• soak 
• submerge 
• swamp