inundate
Americanverb
-
to cover completely with water; overflow; flood; swamp
-
to overwhelm, as if with a flood
to be inundated with requests
Synonym Usage
See flood.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
inundatesimple
-
inundatessimple
-
have inundatedperfect
-
has inundatedperfect
-
am inundatingprogressive
-
are inundatingprogressive
-
is inundatingprogressive
-
have been inundatingperfect progressive
-
has been inundatingperfect progressive
Past
-
inundatedsimple
-
had inundatedperfect
-
was inundatingprogressive
-
were inundatingprogressive
-
had been inundatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of inundate
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin inundātus, past participle of inundāre “to flood, overflow,” equivalent to in- in- 2 + und(a) “wave” + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
To inundate means to quickly fill up or overwhelm, just like a flood. Your bathroom could be inundated with water if the pipes burst, and hopefully your inbox is inundated with nice emails on your birthday. Commonly used to refer to a deluge of water, inundate can also refer to an overflow of something less tangible, like information. Right before the holidays, toy stores are often inundated with eager parents scrambling to get the latest action figures and video games. Attempt to read the entire dictionary in one sitting and you'll inundate your mind with vocabulary. But you probably won't remember any of it tomorrow.
Vocabulary lists containing inundate
List 6
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Fast Food Nation
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Worryingly, Jones draws a close analogy with the present-day situation as he expects the deluge of planned IPO issuance this year, in the form of SpaceX, Anthropic and OpenAI, to inundate the market completely.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 28, 2026
David Joyce, a Seaport Research Partners media analyst, said part of the reason Tubi has been able to capture audiences—especially young people—is because the platform is easy to use and doesn’t inundate viewers with ads.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
Mr Weston said "prolonged wet weather meant further rain had nowhere to go other than to inundate our ageing and fragile sewer network".
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2025
“We just kind of inundate her with support, but her son wants his dad back,” said Tucker.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2025
It was a time when happiness was allowed to spill over, to inundate all rooms, to rule all faces, and to reign unmolested in the turbulent kingdom of the fighter pilot.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Some areas of Florida have been hit with flooding as knee-deep water inundates some coastal towns.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2023
On March 15, brown floodwater inundates a large swath of land.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 22, 2023
Given that reality, a devastating storm that inundates a large number of structures could force the area to consider where it is safe to rebuild — and where it isn’t.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 26, 2022
“Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” for instance, is smart enough to keep dialogue to a minimum as it inundates the theater with sound and color.
From New York Times ● Dec. 30, 2021
The War Office is the most gallant of public bodies; and, with a true appreciation of the daughters of the west, it inundates the land with red-coats.
From Jack Hinton The Guardsman by Lever, Charles James
A flood of Chinese goods into Russia has inundated domestic producers with cars, heavy machinery, textiles and even chicken breasts that are cheaper and often of better quality than what Russian companies can produce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Heavy rainfall inundated roads and flooded homes, leaving communities with widespread damage.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Coastlines are already being buffeted and inundated by rising seas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
"The major changes that we are seeing are sea-level rise. We are starting to see new places are getting flooded or inundated."
From Barron's ● May 28, 2026
They are inundated with music emitting from a wide array of electronic devices, toys, and computers offering a limitless number of musical selections.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
He’s omnipresent, completely dominating coverage, constantly in front of cameras and inundating us with round-the-clock Truth Social posts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025
In Toshima village, some residents have been sleep-deprived and tired, authorities said, as they urged the media to stop inundating locals with queries.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2025
Devastating floods that have killed hundreds of people and displaced tens of thousands more in East Africa are now inundating parts of the Masai Mara, one of Africa’s greatest wildlife national reserves.
From New York Times ● May 1, 2024
In Ventura County, flooding damaged roads, bridges, levees and park facilities, inundating the Ventura Wastewater Facility and causing water to backflow into the system, Newsom wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2024
Future searches will be difficult: thousands of years ago, the melting glaciers raised the seas, inundating coastal settlements, if they existed.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
