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.

As a result, the city has been swamped with a mounting backlog of streetlight repairs — more than 33,000.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 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

Can I just emphasise that fans come to watch a football match and see their team's players, not to be swamped by referees or VAR stopping games at every contentious moment.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

Not far from the camp, in the town of Mograne which was swamped by the neighbouring Sebou River, villagers still waded through deep mud.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

The torrent had swamped the flat bed and the seeds rushed out like runaway boats.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023