overmaster

[oh-ver-mas-ter, -mah-ster]

See more synonyms for overmaster on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to gain mastery over; conquer; overpower: The sudden impulse had quite overmastered me.

Origin of overmaster

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at over-, master

Related formso·ver·mas·ter·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for overmaster

subdue, rout, crush, quell, overthrow, surmount, vanquish, subjugate, control, lick, thwart, reduce, total, prevail, zap, cream, circumvent, overpower, outwit, master

Examples from the Web for overmaster

Contemporary Examples of overmaster

Yet it's plain that he thinks a little worse of himself for allowing his judgment to overmaster his unreasoning dread.
Guns are Dangerous, Even When Used by Good Men
David Frum
April 29, 2013

Historical Examples of overmaster

"He has fainted," said Tom, not allowing the worse fear to overmaster him.
We Two
Edna Lyall
The coward is not the man who is afraid, but the man who allows his fear to overmaster him.
Uncle Sam's Boys in the Ranks
H. Irving Hancock
He longed to cry to her from his soul, to crush her body against his, to overmaster her.
Dubliners
James Joyce
Scoundrels dictate laws to the Convention, which they overmaster.
The Sword of Honor, volumes 1 & 2
Eugne Sue
Again he sought to take her, to hold her and overmaster her.
The Air Trust
George Allan England

British Dictionary definitions for overmaster

overmaster

verb

(tr) to overpower

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 overmaster

mid-14c., from over- + master (v.). Related: Overmastered; overmastering.