overcome

[oh-ver-kuhm]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR overcome ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), o·ver·came, o·ver·come, o·ver·com·ing.

to get the better of in a struggle or conflict; conquer; defeat: to overcome the enemy.

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), o·ver·came, o·ver·come, o·ver·com·ing.

to gain the victory; win; conquer: a plan to overcome by any means possible.

Origin of overcome

before 900; Middle English; Old English ofercuman. See over-, come

Related formso·ver·com·er, nounun·o·ver·come, adjective

Synonyms for overcome

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR overcome ON THESAURUS.COM

1. vanquish.

Synonym study

1. See defeat.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for overcome

crush, overwhelm, win, reduce, overpower, weather, conquer, survive, surmount, stun, affected, beaten, defeated, buried, taken, swamped, conquered, lick, render, subdue

Examples from the Web for overcome

Contemporary Examples of overcome

She fails to appreciate the congressional and constitutional obstacles Johnson had to overcome to win passage of the bill.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’
Gary May
January 2, 2015
She was separated from her colleagues after they were overcome by smoke and heat and ordered to withdraw.
The Mystery Death Of A Female Firefighter
Christopher Moraff
December 13, 2014
To overcome these impediments, at least two tour operators bring visitors into the region.
Egypt Ain’t The Only Pyramid Show In Town
Nina Strochlic
December 11, 2014
What kind of advice would you give to young women to overcome that glass ceiling?
In All-Girls Schools, a Formula for Success
Bobby Blanchard
October 21, 2014
And that suggests these attacks were such that the victims were driven to overcome the usual reluctance to file a report.
The Math That Keeps Helping College Rapists
Michael Daly
October 3, 2014

Historical Examples of overcome

He had fallen into a chair, faint and overcome, as tears came to his eyes.
The Dream
Emile Zola
This computation covers only the machine's power to overcome resistance.
Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
What was the matter with her that she was less gay, and that she was so overcome by this delicious pang?
The Dream
Emile Zola
What had he said, what was the word he had just pronounced, that she should be so overcome by it?
The Dream
Emile Zola
She listened to him, silent, overcome with compassion, yet very happy withal.
The Dream
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for overcome

overcome

verb -comes, -coming, -came or -come

(tr) to get the better of in a conflict

(tr; often passive) to render incapable or powerless by laughter, sorrow, exhaustion, etche 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

Word Origin and History for overcome

Old English ofercuman "to reach, overtake," also "to conquer, prevail over," from ofer (see over) + cuman "to come" (see come (v.)). A common Germanic compound (cf. Middle Dutch overkomen, Old High German ubarqueman, German überkommen). In reference to mental or chemical force, "to overwhelm, render helpless," it is in late Old English. Meaning "to surmount" (a difficulty or obstacle) is from c.1200. The Civil Rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" was put together c.1950s from lyrics from Charles Tindley's spiritual "I'll Overcome Some Day" (1901), and melody from pre-Civil War spiritual "No More Auction Block for Me." Related: Overcame; overcoming.