verb
-
to cover completely with water; overflow; flood; swamp
-
to overwhelm, as if with a flood
to be inundated with requests
Related Words
See flood.
Other Word Forms
- inundant adjective
- inundation noun
- inundator noun
- inundatory adjective
Etymology
Origin of inundate
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin inundātus, past participle of inundāre “to flood, overflow,” equivalent to in- in- 2 + und(a) “wave” + -ātus -ate 1
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.
Mr Weston said "prolonged wet weather meant further rain had nowhere to go other than to inundate our ageing and fragile sewer network".
From BBC • Jul. 15, 2025
Runner-Up: I also let Instagram totally inundate me with border collie videos.
From Slate • Dec. 28, 2024
So his team errs on the side of caution, especially when the earthquake hits closer to the coast — as this one did — and could more quickly inundate populated areas.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2024
Technicians drill holes into the infested wood to reach the termite "gallery" or lair, then inject poison into the hole to inundate the bugs.
From Science Daily • May 31, 2024
“Can we not inundate this amazing young woman with our masculine vitriol on her birthday?”
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
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.
