waterlog

[ waw-ter-lawg, -log, wot-er- ]

verb (used with object)

, wa·ter·logged, wa·ter·log·ging.

1. to cause (a boat, ship, etc.) to become uncontrollable as a result of flooding.
2. to soak, fill, or saturate with water so as to make soggy or useless.

verb (used without object)

, wa·ter·logged, wa·ter·log·ging.

1. to become saturated with water.

Word History and Origins

Origin of waterlog¹

First recorded in 1770–80; apparently back formation from waterlogged

Example Sentences

Not at Marvel's oversaturation – we passed the waterlog point long ago.

From Salon

“Waterlog,” narrated with suitably wonkish enthusiasm by Mike Cooper, is Deakin’s account of his pond-hopping exodus, in which he dives headlong into the historical and literary associations of the various moats, canals, lochs, lakes, rivers and springs along his route.

From Seattle Times

For one thing, the ice cubes could still waterlog your plant if they melt faster than they can be absorbed, she says.

From The Guardian

In Waterlog, his celebrated chronicle of swimming through Britain’s waterways, the naturalist Roger Deakin described swimming as having a transformative, Alice-in-Wonderland quality; it was an activity that had power over his perception of self and of time.

From The Guardian

A flood — the first of two biblical deluges to waterlog the RZA’s archives — had destroyed all preexisting beats.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• absorb
• bathe
• dip
• drink
• drown
• flood
• immerse
• marinate
• moisten
• penetrate
• saturate
• soften
• steep
• submerge
• wash