Dictionary

inundate en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈɪn.ənˌdeɪt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈɪn.ənˌdeɪt/ (Canada, General-American)
• /ɪˈnʌn.deɪt/ (UK)
• audio Queensland
• /ˈɪn.ʌnˌdeɪt/ (UK)
• (California) audio
• /ˈən.ənˌdæɪt/ (New-Zealand)
• /ˈɪn.ənˌdæɪt/ (Australia)

Etymology

First attested in 1623; borrowed from Latin inundātus, the perfect passive participle of inundō (“to flood, overflow”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from in- + undō (“to overflow, wave”), from unda (“wave”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).

Meanings

1. To cover with large amounts of water; to flood.
   • The Dutch would sometimes inundate the land to hinder the Spanish army.
2. To overwhelm.
   • The agency was inundated with phone calls.
   • That books are pouring off the world’s presses at unprecedented rates is a fact often alluded to as a flood that is inundating libraries and the book trades. 1972, Carol A. Nemeyer, Scholarly Reprint Publishing in the United States, New York, N.Y.: R. R. Bowker Co., →ISBN, page 8:
   • I don't know any quarter in England where you get such undeniable mutton—mutton that eats like mutton, instead of the nasty watery, stringy, turnipy stuff, neither mutton nor lamb, that other countries are inundated with. 1852, The New Monthly Magazine, page 310:

Forms

Deriveds

inundatable

Relateds

inundator · inundation · undulate

Synonyms

beflood (to overwhelm) · flood (to overwhelm) · beflood (to cover with water) · deluge (to cover with water) · flood (to cover with water) · avalanche (to overwhelm) · deluge (to overwhelm) · swamp

Translations (54)

ga plúch (to overwhelm) · sv överväldiga (to overwhelm) · ru зава́ливать (to overwhelm) · sv tynga ner (to overwhelm) · ru затопи́ть (to cover with large amounts of water) · it inondare (to cover with large amounts of water) · pl zalać (to cover with large amounts of water) · grc κατακλύζω (to overwhelm) · fr inonder (to overwhelm) · fa غرقه کردن (to cover with large amounts of water) · cmn 氾濫 /氾滥 (to overwhelm) · mi whakaparawhenua (to cover with large amounts of water) · pt inundar (to cover with large amounts of water) · ca inundar (to overwhelm) · io inundar (to cover with large amounts of water) · fi hukuttaa (to overwhelm) · ota بوغمق (to overwhelm) · cs zaplavit (to overwhelm) · cy gorlifo (to overwhelm) · ru завали́ть (to overwhelm) · cs zaplavit (to cover with large amounts of water) · cmn 淹沒 /淹没 (to cover with large amounts of water) · ru затопля́ть (to cover with large amounts of water) · es inundar (to overwhelm) · cmn 泛滥 (to overwhelm) · nl inunderen (to cover with large amounts of water) · sv översvämma (to overwhelm) · pl przytłoczyć (to overwhelm) · ru зали́ть (to cover with large amounts of water) · gl anegar (to cover with large amounts of water) · tr su basmak (to cover with large amounts of water) · gl inundar (to cover with large amounts of water) · es inundar (to cover with large amounts of water) · sv överhopa (to overwhelm) · sv översvämma (to cover with large amounts of water) · tr sel basmak (to cover with large amounts of water) · bg наводнявам (to cover with large amounts of water) · grc κατακλύζω (to cover with large amounts of water) · bg заливам (to cover with large amounts of water) · fi hukkua (to overwhelm) · ru залива́ть (to cover with large amounts of water) · cy gorlifo (to cover with large amounts of water) · fr inonder (to cover with large amounts of water) · ru наводня́ть (to cover with large amounts of water) · de überfluten (to cover with large amounts of water) · gl asolagar (to cover with large amounts of water) · pt inundar (to overwhelm) · ca inundar (to cover with large amounts of water) · fi hukuttaa (to cover with large amounts of water) · ru наводни́ть (to cover with large amounts of water) · gl alagar (to cover with large amounts of water) · it inondare (to overwhelm) · fa اشباع کردن (to overwhelm) · hi परिप्लावित (to cover with large amounts of water)