overpower
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
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.
The team believes giant prey animals may have triggered an "evolutionary arms race" in which predators evolved stronger jaws and skulls to overpower increasingly massive herbivores.
From Science Daily • May 20, 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
“All problem behaviors come from feelings that overpower skills,” she says, which is also “true for adults,” whose hyperpotent feelings “come out as bad behavior.”
From Slate • May 10, 2026
However, that is to take nothing away from Croatia's Prizmic, who played bravely to overpower the Serb 2-6 6-2 6-4.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
Could Ivan overpower him if he had to?
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
