overcome
Americanverb (used with object)
-
overcomes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overcame,
past
-
overcome,
past participle
-
overcoming
present participle
-
to get the better of in a struggle or conflict; conquer; defeat.
to overcome the enemy.
- Synonyms:
- vanquish
-
to prevail over (opposition, a debility, temptations, etc.); surmount.
to overcome one's weaknesses.
-
to overpower or overwhelm in body or mind, as does liquor, a drug, exertion, or emotion.
I was overcome with grief.
-
Archaic. to overspread or overrun.
verb (used without object)
-
overcomes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overcame,
past
-
overcome,
past participle
-
overcoming
present participle
verb
-
(tr) to get the better of in a conflict
-
(tr; often passive) to render incapable or powerless by laughter, sorrow, exhaustion, etc
he was overcome by fumes
-
(tr) to surmount (obstacles, objections, etc)
-
(intr) to be victorious
Synonym Usage
See defeat.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overcomesimple
-
overcomessimple
-
have overcomeperfect
-
has overcomeperfect
-
am overcomingprogressive
-
are overcomingprogressive
-
is overcomingprogressive
-
have been overcomingperfect progressive
-
has been overcomingperfect progressive
Past
-
overcamesimple
-
had overcomeperfect
-
was overcomingprogressive
-
were overcomingprogressive
-
had been overcomingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overcome
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English ofercuman; see over-, come
Explanation
Use the verb overcome when you talk about someone who has triumphed over adversity. It's great to see a friend who's always struggled in school overcome his learning disabilities and make the honor roll. You can also be overcome with emotions, or overwhelmed by your feelings. Many people feel so overcome with sadness at a movie — or happiness at a wedding — that they regret not bringing a pile of tissues with them. The verb overcome also means to win or surpass. If you are going to win the marathon, you are going to have to overcome having five runners ahead of you.
Vocabulary lists containing overcome
List 1
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Brown Girl Dreaming
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"Hitching a Ride"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
To counter the growing threat across Fae territories, Prythian’s fractured Night Court must overcome internal rifts and recent betrayals to restore former alliances.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Bitcoin’s outlook depends on whether improving liquidity and institutional access can overcome regulatory delays and short-term exchange traded fund outflows, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
A smile is missing, which comes as no surprise because he’s being asked to talk about a tragedy that few teenagers could overcome, let alone discuss.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
But, having set her sights on the outdoor record, which has stood since 1983, Hodgkinson instead had to overcome several setbacks en route to her latest podium.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
But for the first time, Doha felt a terrible rage overcome him.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
Sentiment among German investors exceeded expectations again this month on a bumper earnings season, as the economy overcomes some of the shock of the war in Iran.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
This overcomes a key challenge facing Moore's Law that Intel sums up as: "You can make something smaller and smaller and smaller... until you can't".
From Barron's ● May 25, 2026
The new device, described in the journal Nature, overcomes this challenge by reusing much of the energy needed to run it.
From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026
But even here, her sincerity overcomes her weakness for sentimental flourishes, including Amine Bouhafa’s treacly score.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2026
“If you set the surge up high enough, you’ll be glad you’re awake; that’s the whole point. At setting C it overcomes the threshold barring consciousness, as it does for me.”
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
The result also overcame significant doubts within the scientific community about whether sunlight could realistically drive the process.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
France’s economy picked up in the second quarter, helped by household spending and robust exports as it overcame some of the uncertainty about the course and consequences of the conflict in the Middle East.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Traders using Robinhood Markets overcame anxiety around cryptocurrency and technology stocks in the latest quarter, betting big on events like the World Cup and driving the brokerage platform’s revenue to record levels.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
James led the Cavaliers to four consecutive NBA Finals and a championship in 2016 when Cleveland overcame a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Warriors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Slowly my starved body responded to food and overcame the lean years of Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee, counteracting the flesh-sapping anxiety of fear-filled days.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
France’s economy was helped by household spending and robust exports, overcoming some of the uncertainty about the course and consequences of the conflict in the Middle East.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
They are the first nation to be men's and women's World Cup winners at the same time – La Roja overcoming England in the Women's World Cup final in Sydney in 2023.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Meanwhile, Gerwyn Price survived a scare before overcoming Germany's Martin Schindler 11-9.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Aguilar, 43, had amassed a sizable following as an influencer on Instagram and YouTube, where he spoke of overcoming poverty and addiction before creating a chain of gyms called Self Made Training Facility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
“Young women, this is what this mentorship program is about. We will have fun, yes. But we will also discuss some of the distractions and barriers to success and hopefully gain strategies for overcoming them.”
From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
