waterlog
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cause (a boat, ship, etc.) to become uncontrollable as a result of flooding.
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to soak, fill, or saturate with water so as to make soggy or useless.
verb (used without object)
Etymology
Origin of waterlog
First recorded in 1770–80; apparently back formation from waterlogged
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:
Gusting winds protect the greens while rain can waterlog the seaside links, which see their conditions vary far more dramatically than at parkland-style courses such as Augusta National.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Critics say their dams can flood and waterlog fields while the animals themselves can feed on certain agricultural crops and damage trees.
From BBC ● May 5, 2025
"Beavers can flood and waterlog fields, feed on agricultural crops like maize, as well as damage and fell trees such as cricket bat willow."
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2025
Not at Marvel's oversaturation – we passed the waterlog point long ago.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2023
The wood was soft, felt soft to the point of his knife, and he thought that might mean they would waterlog, but then he decided it wouldn’t matter.
From "The River" by Gary Paulsen
In the filmmaker’s imagination, the trick of hiding Greek warriors inside a wood contraption was more believable if it looked like a waterlogged offering to a god left by a departed army.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
His repeated attempts to flex expensive restaurant bills and hardman tough talk land like a waterlogged handkerchief after he’s spent song after song cataloging all the specific ways we’ve all hurt his feelings.
From Salon ● May 21, 2026
"Flooding complicates repairs because the fields are waterlogged and some roads are blocked," Enedis crisis director Herve Champenois said at a press briefing Thursday.
From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026
Vindolanda is well known among archaeologists for its exceptional preservation of organic materials, thanks to the site's waterlogged soil.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 21, 2025
I see bits of waterlogged parchment and bright feathers swirling with the malevolent black pitch.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
Flash floods were waterlogging soils, while droughts were killing off whatever crops survived.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Heavy rain and gusty winds lashed India's southern coast as Cyclone Montha started to make landfall on Tuesday, officials said, disrupting flights and triggering waterlogging in low-lying areas.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2025
The combination of charring and waterlogging led to exceptional preservation.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 20, 2024
"Rising groundwaters can lead to flooding of coastal cities, waterlogging of farmlands and salinization of groundwaters and soils."
From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2024
The English engineers in the main retained the faulty Moghal alignment, and waterlogging of the worst description developed.
From The Panjab, North-West Frontier Province, and Kashmir by Douie, James McCrone, Sir
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.
