inundated; inundating
Synonyms of inundate

transitive verb

1
: overwhelm
was inundated with phone calls
2
: to cover with a flood : overflow
plural -s
: one that inundates

Did you know?

In the summer of 1993, record rains in the Midwest caused the Mississippi River to overflow its banks, break through levees, and inundate the entire countryside; such an inundation hadn't been seen for at least a hundred years. By contrast, the Nile River inundated its entire valley every year, bringing the rich black silt that made the valley one of the most fertile places on earth. (The inundations ceased with the completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1970.) Whenever a critical issue is being debated, the White House and Congressional offices are inundated with phone calls and emails, just as a town may be inundated with complaints when it starts charging a fee for garbage pickup.

Examples of inundate in a Sentence

Verb Rising rivers could inundate low-lying areas. water from the overflowing bathtub inundated the bathroom floor
Recent Examples on the Web
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Verb
Many areas in Bangkok were inundated last week after days of torrential rain, forcing thousands to evacuate and causing severe disruptions. — ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026 As my dad was, patients today are inundated with misinformation spread by alternative-medicine practitioners, social media influencers and public figures. — Trisha Thadani Kirsten Potter Tanya Pérez Devin Murphy, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026 The state’s coastlines have been inundated with high surf for much of the summer, leading to severe erosion at some of the state’s most popular beaches. — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026 Texas’s Senate race has been inundated with bitter character attacks against the two candidates. — Matthew Choi, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for inundate

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin inundatus, past participle of inundare, from in- + unda wave — more at water

First Known Use

Verb

1590, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of inundate was in 1590

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Inundate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inundate. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

inundated; inundating
1
: to cover with a flood : deluge entry 1
2
: overwhelm sense 2
inundated with email
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