overwhelm

[oh-ver-hwelm, -welm]

See more synonyms for overwhelm on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to overcome completely in mind or feeling: overwhelmed by remorse.
to overpower or overcome, especially with superior forces; destroy; crush: Roman troops were overwhelmed by barbarians.
to cover or bury beneath a mass of something, as floodwaters, debris, or an avalanche; submerge: Lava from erupting Vesuvius overwhelmed the city of Pompeii.

to load, heap, treat, or address with an overpowering or excessive amount of anything: a child overwhelmed with presents; to overwhelm someone with questions.
to overthrow.

Origin of overwhelm

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

Related formsun·o·ver·whelmed, adjective

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

Related Words for overwhelm

crush, inundate, deluge, rout, overpower, swamp, overrun, engulf, submerge, defeat, destroy, overcome, confound, disturb, dumbfound, bewilder, upset, puzzle, shock, confuse

Examples from the Web for overwhelm

Contemporary Examples of overwhelm

He used his strength to overwhelm defenders but he also had nifty footwork, soft hands, and was a beautiful passer.
Shaq, Year One
Charles P. Pierce
May 24, 2014
Everywhere around you and inside you are possibilities you must always keep open, yet never let overwhelm you.
Big Business Bullies Americans into the Machinery of Common Core
James Poulos
March 20, 2014
Like all barbiturates, it can overwhelm alertness to the point of stopping the urge to breathe.
The Death Penalty’s Gruesome Truth
Kent Sepkowitz
February 6, 2014
On the negative side, the sheer tonnage of opinions can overwhelm and cause a degree of amnesia.
The Best Columns of the Year
John Avlon
December 31, 2013
You reach a point where your frustrations just overwhelm and things have to change.
The Filibuster Fight Ain’t Over
Ben Jacobs
November 21, 2013

Historical Examples of overwhelm

As for Garson, once again the surge of feeling threatened to overwhelm his self-control.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana
His intention was not to overwhelm his wife with bitter reproaches.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
Powerful tribes, like the Romans, Saxons and Normans, have tried to overwhelm them.
Welsh Fairy Tales
William Elliott Griffis
We should indeed survey and prepare for danger, but we should never suffer it to overwhelm us.
Imogen
William Godwin
The mud of those greasy streets had risen up all around to overwhelm him!
The Fat and the Thin
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for overwhelm

overwhelm

verb (tr)

to overpower the thoughts, emotions, or senses of
to overcome with irresistible force
to overcome, as with a profusion or concentration of something
to cover over or bury completely
to weigh or rest upon overpoweringly
archaic to overturn

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 overwhelm

early 14c., "to turn upside down, to overthrow," from over- + Middle English whelmen "to turn upside down" (see whelm). Meaning "to submerge completely" is mid-15c. Perhaps the connecting notion is a boat, etc., washed over, and overset, by a big wave. Figurative sense of "to bring to ruin" is attested from 1520s. Related: Overwhelmed; overwhelming; overwhelmingly.