inundate

[in-uhn-deyt, -uhn-, in-uhn-deyt]

See more synonyms for inundate on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), in·un·dat·ed, in·un·dat·ing.

to flood; cover or overspread with water; deluge.
to overwhelm: inundated with letters of protest.

Origin of inundate

1615–25; < Latin inundātus, past participle of inundāre to flood, overflow, equivalent to in- in-² + und(a) wave + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsin·un·da·tion, nounin·un·da·tor, nounin·un·da·to·ry

[in-uhn-duh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ɪnˈʌn dəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjectivesu·per·in·un·da·tion, nounun·in·un·dat·ed, adjective

Synonyms for inundate

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2. glut.

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

Related Words for inundate

deluge, swamp, flood, engulf, submerge, overflow, overrun, dunk, glut, immerse, snow, whelm

Examples from the Web for inundate

Contemporary Examples of inundate

Now it has a different meaning: to inundate someone with profanity and insults.
The Oxford English Dictionary: The Original Crowdsourcer
Josh Dzieza
April 29, 2013
“Flaming” was one of the first, meaning to inundate someone with email spam.
The Oxford English Dictionary: The Original Crowdsourcer
Josh Dzieza
April 29, 2013

Historical Examples of inundate

I have known freshets in March to inundate the country for miles.
Plantation Sketches
Margaret Devereux
If then, they inundate us with their products, it is because they expect to be inundated with ours.
Sophisms of the Protectionists
Frederic Bastiat
It was the month of July; the Nile was about to inundate the country.
History Of Egypt From 330 B.C. To The Present Time, Volume 12 (of 12)
S. Rappoport
Do we not hear it said every day, "The foreigner is about to inundate us with his products?"
Economic Sophisms
Frederic Bastiat
If they inundate us with their products, it is because they expect to be inundated with ours in return.
Economic Sophisms
Frederic Bastiat

British Dictionary definitions for inundate

inundate

verb (tr)

to cover completely with water; overflow; flood; swamp
to overwhelm, as if with a floodto be inundated with requests

Derived Formsinundant or inundatory, adjectiveinundation, nouninundator, noun

Word Origin for inundate

C17: from Latin inundāre to flood, from unda wave

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 inundate

1620s, back-formation from inundation, or else from Latin inundatus, past participle of inundare "to overflow, run over" (see inundation). Related: Inundated; inundating.