overcome
[ oh-ver-kuhm ]
/ ˌoʊ vərˈkʌm /
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.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
crush, overwhelm, win, reduce, overpower, weather, conquer, survive, surmount, stun, affected, beaten, defeated, buried, taken, swamped, conquered, lick, render, subdue
Nearby words
- overcloud,
- overcoat,
- overcoat, the,
- overcoating,
- overcoil,
- overcommit,
- overcompensate,
- overcompensation,
- overcomplex,
- overconfident
Origin of overcome
Synonym study
1. See defeat.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for overcome
overcome
/ (ˌəʊvəˈkʌm) /
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
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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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper