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flood
This word carries a heavy sense of helplessness and lack of control. It describes a volume that exceeds the capacity of its container, whether that container is a riverbed, a room, or a human's emotional threshold. There is an inherent quality of suddenness and inevitability associated with the term.
In a psychological or social context, it implies a saturation point. When a person is flooded with emotion or an office is flooded with emails, the focus is on the inability to process the incoming stream, leading to a state of paralysis or chaos.
Countable when referring to a specific event of inundation (three major floods). Uncountable when referring to the general phenomenon of water covering land.
Meanings
To cover an area with a large amount of water.
The broken pipe flooded the entire basement.
Examples
The heavy rains caused a devastating flood in the valley.
A burst pipe flooded the entire kitchen overnight.
The office was flooded with requests for more information.
The river began to flood after the storm.
Phrasal Verbs
flood in
to arrive in overwhelming numbers or quantities
Applications for the new position started to flood in immediately.
flood back
to return to the mind suddenly and vividly
Memories of her childhood home began to flood back as she walked through the old neighborhood.
flood out
to flow out of a space in large quantities
The water began to flood out of the breached dam.