swamped

American

[swompt] / swɒmpt /

adjective

filled or covered with water; flooded; inundated.

The most important thing we learned is how to paddle a swamped canoe back in to shore.
He saw lines of people walking along the swamped road, completely drenched.
overwhelmed, especially with an excess of something.

The website outage was most likely caused by swamped servers.
Whether it's helping a swamped colleague with a project or buying a stranger a cup of coffee, any small act of kindness can boost happiness.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of swamp.

Etymology

Origin of swamped

swamp ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

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.

However, one thing United's powerbrokers were certain about was that he would not be swamped by the sheer scale of what he was taking on.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

Many, though, are swamped: In Philadelphia earlier this year, for example, the local steamfitter’s union apprenticeship program received 609 applications for just 85 slots.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

If it is the fate of all men to be eclipsed by time, it is the special fate of the reformers of the day to be swamped by the incoming tide of tomorrow.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

"You know they come in waves and you think you're doing alright and then you're hit by another one and you're swamped," she said.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

As a consequence the troopers were swamped with calls from people claiming to know the hiker's identity, so they were even less receptive to Westerberg than they had been to Gallien.

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