verb
-
to cover completely with water; overflow; flood; swamp
-
to overwhelm, as if with a flood
to be inundated with requests
Related Words
See flood.
Other Word Forms
- inundant adjective
- inundation noun
- inundator noun
- inundatory adjective
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
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.
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
Runner-Up: I also let Instagram totally inundate me with border collie videos.
From Slate • Dec. 28, 2024
Another 18 rivers were experiencing moderate flooding, which can inundate some structures and may lead to evacuations.
From New York Times • May 5, 2024
It took about twenty minutes for the spindrift to inundate my bivvy sack—a thin nylon envelope shaped exactly like a Baggies sandwich bag, only bigger—to the level of the breathing slit.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
