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.
Rising rivers could inundate low-lying areas.
water from the overflowing bathtub inundated the bathroom floor
Recent Examples on the WebIn Nepal, at least 115 people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced since May as record rainfall and flash floods inundated parts of the Himalayan country.—Sahar Akbarzai, CNN, 17 July 2024 Rising seas threaten to inundate coastal cactus species, including others in the Florida Keys.—Dino Grandoni, Washington Post, 13 July 2024 Last year seemed set for a heavy fire season until a tropical storm inundated parts of the state in August.—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2024 The damage came, news outlets noted, just a year after catastrophic rainfall had inundated parts of the state.—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 11 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for inundate
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'inundate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Latin inundatus, past participle of inundare, from in- + unda wave — more at water
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