What does inundate mean?
Word: Inundate
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Inundate means to give someone so much of something that it is more than they can handle. It can also mean to cover land with water.
How do you spell inundate?
Syllables: in - un - date
Tricky part: Pupils are tempted to double the n near the start, as they would in innocent. Only a single n follows the opening i.
Watch out for: innundate, inunndate
Memory tip: Say to yourself: one flood, one n. Keep that single n right after the opening i.
Inundate in a sentence
Example 1: Our teacher was inundated with questions on the day before the exam.
Example 2: Every June, the uniform shop is inundated with orders.
Example 3: Heavy rain can inundate low-lying fields along the Brahmaputra.
Fun Fact
The word rolled in from a Latin word for a wave, so being inundated with homework is, at root, being hit by a wave of it.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
in_nd_te
a) o, a
b) u, e
c) a, a
d) u, a
Show answer
d) u, a. The first gap takes the vowel of under, and the end of the word says date.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
inundatte
a) d
b) n
c) t
d) u
Show answer
c) t. Only one t comes before the final e.
Mingle-Mangle
The jumbled letters in the sentence hide a word. Choose it.
During the summer sale, online orders began to nadietun the small bakery.
a) incubate
b) inundate
c) insulate
d) indicate
Show answer
b) inundate. Look for two n's and a u in the jumble; no other option has both.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word inundated as used in the sentence:
Fans inundated the radio station with song requests after the show.
a) praised
b) swamped
c) emptied
d) trained
Show answer
b) swamped. So many requests came in that the station was buried under them.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which headline suggests a small office has been inundated?
a) Helpline Adds Service in Two Languages
b) Ten Thousand Calls in One Hour for Helpline
c) Helpline Staff Enjoy Annual Day Picnic
d) Helpline Moves to Larger New Office
Show answer
b) Ten Thousand Calls in One Hour for Helpline
2. After the river rose, the fields were inundated. What did the farmers see?
a) cracked dry soil as far as the eye could see
b) rows of fresh green shoots after the rain
c) birds pecking at the ripe golden grain
d) sheets of water where the crops had stood
Show answer
d) sheets of water where the crops had stood
