waterlogged
Americanadjective
-
so filled or flooded with water as to be heavy or unmanageable, as a ship.
-
excessively saturated with or as if with water.
waterlogged ground; waterlogged with fatigue.
adjective
-
saturated with water
-
(of a vessel still afloat) having taken in so much water as to be unmanageable
Etymology
Origin of waterlogged
1760–70; water + log 1 (apparently in v. sense “(of water) to accumulate in a ship”) + -ed 2
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.
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
When soil is damp but not completely waterlogged, nitrogen breakdown may stop midway, producing nitrous oxide instead of harmless nitrogen gas.
From Science Daily • Feb. 22, 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
A spokesperson said one puffin had been found "waterlogged" in Cruden Bay but was being cared for by rescuers.
From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026
Walking with waterlogged overshoes is hard; I could slip, and fall all the way in.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
