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inundate

[ in-uhn-deyt, -uhn-, in-uhn-deyt ]
/ ˈɪn ənˌdeɪt, -ʌn-, ɪnˈʌn deɪt /
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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.

RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

  1. inulase,
  2. inulin,
  3. inulin clearance,
  4. inunction,
  5. inundant,
  6. inundation,
  7. inupiaq,
  8. inupik,
  9. inurbane,
  10. inure

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 forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for inundate

British Dictionary definitions for inundate

inundate

/ (ˈɪnʌnˌdeɪt) /

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

inundate

v.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper