Synonyms

overcome

American

[oh-ver-kuhm] / ˌoʊ vərˈkʌm /

verb (used with object)

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)

to gain the victory; win; conquer.

a plan to overcome by any means possible.

overcome British

/ ˌəʊvəˈkʌm /

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See defeat.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

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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.

Appeared in the April 27, 2026, print edition as 'Big-Company Profits Overcome Headwinds'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

Opening track I Will Overcome finds her doom-scrolling through her phone on the rainy streets of Paris, set to an orchestral score that recalls Sondheim at his most melodramatic.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

He and other surrounding Democrats began singing the civil rights anthem, "We Shall Overcome," but the session devolved into a screaming match after Johnson finished the reading, according to ABC News.

From Salon • Mar. 6, 2025

Overcome by loss, young Zuberi immerses himself in a tome that his father left him, as the surroundings change to become the world of Kenzera.

From New York Times • Apr. 22, 2024

Who ever heard of angry revolutionists all harmonizing “We Shall Overcome . . . Suum Day ...” while tripping and swaying along arm-in-arm with the very people they were supposed to be angrily revolting against?

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023