overpower
Americanverb (used with object)
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overpowers,
present (3rd person singular)
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overpowered,
past participle, past
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overpowering
present participle
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to overcome, master, or subdue by superior force.
to overpower a maniac.
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to overcome or overwhelm in feeling; affect or impress excessively.
overpowered with confusion and desire.
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to gain mastery over the bodily powers or mental faculties of.
a strong drink that quickly overpowered him.
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to furnish or equip with excessive power.
a giant motor that overpowered the pump.
verb
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to conquer or subdue by superior force
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to have such a strong effect on as to make helpless or ineffective
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to supply with more power than necessary
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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overpowersimple
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overpowerssimple
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have overpoweredperfect
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has overpoweredperfect
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am overpoweringprogressive
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are overpoweringprogressive
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is overpoweringprogressive
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have been overpoweringperfect progressive
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has been overpoweringperfect progressive
Past
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overpoweredsimple
-
had overpoweredperfect
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was overpoweringprogressive
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were overpoweringprogressive
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had been overpoweringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overpower
Explanation
To overpower is to overcome with greater strength. In order to win an arm-wrestling match, you must overpower your opponent. The word overpower is often used in situations where great force is used or required against some person or thing. One army might overpower another, or a mugger might overpower his victim. But delicate things, like the scent of a perfume, can also overpower you, especially if they're too strong. Our emotions can also overpower us: we cheer after a home run and swoon when it's love at first sight.
Vocabulary lists containing overpower
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 20–25
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Words for Cheese Writers
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"Rachel the Clever"
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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:
Conductor Kelly Kuo captured the opera’s pacing but sometimes let the orchestra overpower the singers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Often, it’s “winner takes all” in the tech industry, and large companies can overpower their competitors once they get to a certain market share.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
Luke Littler produced form close to his sensational best to overpower Michael van Gerwen and win his third Premier League night of the season in Berlin.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026
Caine said the Iranian military is adapting to the U.S. strategy, but remains confident in Washington’s ability to overpower Tehran.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
JB wouldn’t have planned to overpower Mr. Hodge and Gary all by himself.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
“It was confusing, because as the judge speaks, her microphone overpowers the translator on the video call,” Alberto said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
It has spread extensively across the north-west Highlands where it often overpowers native species.
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
The key is striking a balance: too spicy and it overpowers the meat; too sweet and it risks hardening into a candy shell.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2025
“You’ve got to have something so significant that overpowers money,” George Trice said.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 13, 2023
“I think it overpowers you. It’s just kind of loud.”
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
Were those chuckles overpowered by groans and eye rolls?
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
Flooding allowed the fish to escape into the Mississippi Basin, and to reproduce at rates that have overpowered native species.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
Japan Society presented avant-garde, multidisciplinary Japanese dancer Hiroaki Umeda’s dazzling multimedia “assimilating,” a display that well overpowered the Met’s attempts at video and movement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026
Ultimately, France overpowered Scotland in the final quarter with plenty to spare to win the title.
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026
I wanted to wail, to wave my arms in exuberance, to give myself up right then and there to the unexplainable force that overpowered the others in the room.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
“Record output and the storage overhang are simply overpowering whatever residual weather-driven power burn is still left in the late-summer schedule,” Phil Flynn of Price Futures Group says in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Dustin Dunwoody, Royal: Armed with an overpowering fastball, Dunwoody is 7-0, has an 0.18 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026
It left Brian and his neighbours dealing with smoke, ash and an overpowering "chemical" smell which some described as like living in a "war zone".
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2026
More shocking still, Cignetti has the Hoosiers overpowering opponents and outmuscling stars, despite a roster that doesn’t feature a single five-star recruit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
As predicted, Cleopatra’s overpowering personality, incalculable wealth, and persuasive speech put Mai Antony’s fears to rest and captured his heart.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
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.
