Inundate
/ˈɪnənˌdeɪt/
verbB2
Definition
Inundate means to flood or fill a place or person with a very large amount of something, usually water or things like letters, tasks, or information. It can describe a physical flooding or a situation where someone receives too much to handle at once.
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See It in Action
To flood with water
- •The river inundated the nearby fields after the heavy rain.
- •Coastal towns were inundated by the storm surge.
- •The basement was inundated when the pipe broke.
To overwhelm with a large amount of something (work, messages, requests)
- •She was inundated with emails after the announcement.
- •The customer service team was inundated with calls during the sale.
- •He felt inundated by the amount of homework from school.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of 'inundate' like 'flood' (A1 word), but it can also mean many things, not just water
- ✓Picture a house filled with water after heavy rain, or an office full of papers and emails
- ✓It's the feeling when you get so much work or messages that you don’t know where to start
- ✓Sounds like 'IN-un-date' → imagine a date (meeting) so full of people that it overflows and covers everything
- ✓Imagine a river rising and covering the land, or your phone ringing nonstop with many calls
- ✓NOT like 'drip' (small amount), 'inundate' means a very large amount covering everything
- ✓NOT like 'spill' (small accidental flow), 'inundate' is usually a big, overwhelming flow or load
Try Other Words
- •Overwhelm: to give too much to handle (Use when talking about feelings or work, less about water)
- •Flood: to cover with water (Use when talking only about water or liquid)
- •Swamp: to cover or fill completely, often with work or problems (Use in informal speech about being very busy or full)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: prefix 'in-' (into, inside) + root 'undate' (from Latin 'unda' meaning wave)
- •Etymology: From Latin 'inundare,' meaning 'to flood or overflow'
- •Historical development: First used in English in the late 1500s to mean flooding with water; later expanded to mean overwhelming with anything
- •Modern usage: Used both for physical flooding and for being overwhelmed by many things, like work or information
Reflect & Connect
•Can you think of a time when you felt inundated with something other than water? What was it?
•How does being inundated affect the way people work or make decisions?
Fill in the blanks
1.After the storm, the town was inundated ___ heavy rain and flooding.
2.She was inundated ___ phone calls and emails after her project was published.
3.Unlike a small problem, being inundated means there is ___ to handle at once.
4.The office was inundated ___ paperwork, making it hard to finish tasks on time.
5.When a river inundates an area, it usually causes ___ damage.
6.People can feel inundated ___ too much information, not just water.
7.The team was inundated ___ requests, so they had to ask for help.