swamping

verb

present participle of swamp
1
as in flooding
to cover with a flood the boat was swamped by the huge wave has been swamped with paperwork since she returned from vacation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in overwhelming
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress parents feeling swamped by work and family obligations

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of swamping Torrential rain from a Monday afternoon thunderstorm flooded Hermitage Road in West Little Rock, affecting businesses and swamping at least one car. — Casey Mann, Arkansas Online, 8 July 2026 Most targets were critics of China, and the tactics included creating fake social-media accounts and swamping platforms with pro-Beijing posts, spreading false information about dissidents, and forging documents. — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026 But once again, a big pop would generate a fee-swamping flood of soft dollars. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 10 June 2026 The flood pushed tons of mud into Westernport’s Main Street, swamping businesses and destabilizing the town’s public library. — Bryan P. Sears, Baltimore Sun, 23 May 2026 Even in our experiment, some groups rallied around below-average teammates, the snowballing tendency of prestige swamping signs of their poor ability. — Thomas Morgan, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2026 Bigger waves can reach further inland, swamping more homes and businesses. — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 22 Jan. 2026 Genetic swamping refers to the idea that too much inter-breeding jeopardizes the genetic integrity of a subspecies. — Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 28 Nov. 2025 Pricey prescriptions and nagging medical costs are swamping some insurers and employers now. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swamping
  1. flooding
  2. overwhelming
  3. engulfing
  4. devastating
  5. overcoming
  6. crushing
Verb
  • In one image, a young sitter with the Arabic word for ‘justice’ painted on her cheek gazes sensuously into the camera, while flooding the frame with wafts of smoke.
    — Michael-Oliver Harding, CNN Money, 28 July 2026
  • The break left a giant sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and sent about 17 million gallons of water into surrounding neighborhoods, shuttering businesses, and flooding homes and underground parking.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026
Definition of flooding
Verb
  • Animal figurines, old postcards, miniature sculptures and other unexpected objects can add personality without overwhelming a room.
    — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2026
  • The natural wood grain and streamlined proportions give it enough presence to anchor an entryway without overwhelming the surrounding decor.
    — Nora Taylor, Architectural Digest, 23 July 2026
Definition of overwhelming
Verb
  • By the time crews arrived at the scene, somewhere between 3 and 4 feet of water and mud had accumulated in the theater, engulfing all of the ground floor seats and rising to the height of the elevated stage.
    — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2026
  • Under the microscope, the researchers observed these supergiants running over smaller kin and engulfing them whole at the rate of one every 10 minutes.
    — Jay Kakade July 23, Refractor, 23 July 2026
Definition of engulfing
Verb
  • Pape Sarr was on the pitch for Senegal’s devastating extra-time defeat by Belgium at that same stage, but joins Bergvall as a Spurs player who had little impact on a tournament where his career — and market value — could really have used a jolt.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • Following a succession of heat waves that started even before the summer, wildfires have raged across France in recent weeks, devastating large swaths of land amid record temperatures and dry weather.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026
Definition of devastating
Verb
  • The biggest event in the sporting calendar drew to a close at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey as Spain were crowned world champions for the second time, overcoming Argentina in one of the most dominant finals in recent memory.
    — Mark Carey, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • Emotional intelligence, particularly self-awareness, is crucial to overcoming it.
    — Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of overcoming
Verb
  • Coming off a division title, an 11-6 record, a thrilling playoff win over the rival Packers and a crushing overtime playoff loss to the Rams, the Bears are going to be a hot-button topic over the next six weeks.
    — Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • Meanwhile Leia’s lost her brother Luke and her great love Han Solo in quick succession, and the general’s trying to rebuild the Resistance after a crushing loss to the evil First Order at the Battle of Crait.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 27 July 2026
Definition of crushing

Browse Nearby Words

swampers
swamping
swampland
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swamping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swamping. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on swamping

Nglish: Translation of swamping for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of comely

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All