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

Inflected Forms

Participles

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

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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:

overcome overcomes overcame overcoming

"With his support, I’ve now overcome my illness, and I want to give him my positive energy so that he, too, can overcome his illness as quickly as possible," she said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

While Freeman seemed to overcome the knee tendinitis that flared in September, with treatment and a little extra rest, Ohtani still didn’t look like himself entering the playoffs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Rather than standing on the verge of a functioning nuclear reactor, the German scientists faced shortages they could not overcome with the resources available to them.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Leaders in both communions recognize the tragedy of the schism and are striving to overcome it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

He had hoped Gurgi would have overcome his fear, but he could not blame the creature for running off after his ordeal in the whirlpool.

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander

In fact, GPS also overcomes the challenge through time: A receiver uses the travel times of signals from several satellites, whose positions are known, to calculate its own position.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Not unlike the bestselling memoir “Educated” by Tara Westover, who overcomes an abusive childhood in a rural survivalist Mormon family.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

In that simple contest, the electromagnetic force produced by the magnet easily overcomes gravity.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 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

“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 research team overcame this obstacle by developing a technique that applies tiny amounts of MOF material directly to the mitochondrial surface.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

But a few passengers, crew and off-duty pilots who landed the plane safely overcame their fear and exercised their courage and sense of duty, and helped to make this miracle happen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Elsewhere, defending champion Alcaraz overcame fluctuations in form to beat Jaume Munar and reach the Japan Open final.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

He says what's striking about Aberdeen is its joined-up approach, and the fact people "rolled up their sleeves" and overcame differences.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

His sense of duty and the thought that the country he had helped create was in danger overcame his reluctance to leave.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

The 17-track record is a concept album which explores overcoming heartbreak, self-doubt and internet trolling.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Though, so far this season, Maiava has had no problem overcoming the absence of his two top receivers from a year ago, Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

Russian engineers, through successive iterations, added speed and survivability thanks to better electronics for navigation and communications, overcoming much of Ukraine’s defenses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

"Everyone has the feeling that their technical capabilities are growing in terms of autonomy, in terms of overcoming electronic warfare systems, and in terms of the distance at which they can fire."

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

“My ears are ringy. I scraped my knees. And I got some dirt in my eye . . .” Then Esme began to tremble and cry, the shock of what had happened overcoming her again.

From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs

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