deluge

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

noun

a great flood of water; inundation; flood.
a drenching rain; downpour.
anything that overwhelms like a flood: a deluge of mail.

the Deluge. flood(def 3).

verb (used with object), del·uged, del·ug·ing.

to flood; inundate.
to overrun; overwhelm: She was deluged with congratulatory letters.

Origin of deluge

1325–75; Middle English < Old French < Latin dīluvium flood, equivalent to dīluv-, base of dīluere to wash away, dissolve (dī- di² + -luere, combining form of lavere to wash) + -ium -ium

Related formsun·del·uged, adjective

Synonyms for deluge

1. See flood. 3. cataclysm, catastrophe.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for deluged

inundation, spate, avalanche, barrage, cataclysm, torrent, drench, soak, flood, overwhelm, swamp, douse, submerge, overflow, overrun, engulf, teem, inundate, overload, overcrowd

Examples from the Web for deluged

Contemporary Examples of deluged

Predictably, he was deluged with angry responses; as of this writing, he is still responding to critics.
Richard Dawkins Would Fail Philosophy 101
Elizabeth Picciuto
August 28, 2014
The paper was deluged with complaints from readers, and from UK and overseas Jewish groups, before issuing a prompt apology.
A 10-Point Guide To Anti-Semitism And Its Perception
Mark Gardner
February 14, 2013
Anyone who votes for it is going to be deluged with angry phone calls and some very ugly attack ads come next campaign.
Does Anyone Actually Want to Make a Deal on the Fiscal Cliff?
Megan McArdle
December 31, 2012
But then they saw the water rise—the result of the failed federal levee system that deluged 80 percent of the city.
Waiting Out Hurricane Isaac in New Orleans
Katy Reckdahl
August 29, 2012
But now she finds herself in the opposite situation, deluged with requests for interviews, appearances, and reviews.
Diana Athill on How to Age Gracefully
Lucy Scholes
April 30, 2012

Historical Examples of deluged

It deluged them with water, and plastered them with flying seaweed and ice.
Cap'n Eri
Joseph Crosby Lincoln
It was the denial of this simple truth which deluged France in blood and woe.
Henry IV, Makers of History
John S. C. Abbott
Previous to the attack their howitzers had deluged the place with shells.
The Story of the Great War, Volume VI (of VIII)
Various
When Dan lunged with the gaff the tuna made a tremendous splash that deluged us.
Tales of Fishes
Zane Grey
As it ever did and ever will happen too, they have deluged me with work when I crave rest.
The Fortunes Of Glencore
Charles James Lever

British Dictionary definitions for deluged

deluge

noun

a great flood of water
torrential rain; downpour
an overwhelming rush or numbera deluge of requests

verb (tr)

to flood, as with water; soak, swamp, or drown
to overwhelm or overrun; inundate

Word Origin for deluge

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

Deluge

noun

the Deluge another name for the Flood

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for deluged

deluge

1590s; see deluge (n.). Related: Deluged; deluging.

deluge

late 14c., from Old French deluge (12c.), earlier deluve, from Latin diluvium "flood, inundation," from diluere "wash away," from dis- "away" (see dis-) + -luere, comb. form of lavere "to wash" (see lave).