waterlog
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to cause (a boat, ship, etc.) to become uncontrollable as a result of flooding.
-
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
One important discovery occurred in the 1990s at Schöningen, Germany, where researchers uncovered wooden spears preserved in waterlogged conditions.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
Across the waterlogged basin, it rained almost 8 inches over New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Peat is partially decomposed vegetation that builds up in waterlogged ground over centuries, storing more carbon than any other soil on Earth.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
You are creating the conditions under which it can improve without becoming waterlogged.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
We trekked along the mountainside, looking for pieces that weren’t waterlogged or rotten, shaking the snow off branches.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
Flash floods were waterlogging soils, while droughts were killing off whatever crops survived.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Ecologists also observed widespread waterlogging that was damaging native vegetation.
From Science Daily ● May 14, 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
These women also face the brunt of climate change, losing livelihoods and running losses: monsoon waterlogging in their homes leads to wastage of their supplied material.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2024
In parts of Amritsar, and markedly near the city, waterlogging has become a grave evil, but remedial measures have now been undertaken.
From The Panjab, North-West Frontier Province, and Kashmir by Sir James McCrone Douie
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
