overwhelm

[oh-ver-hwelm, -welm]

verb (used with object)

1. to overcome completely in mind or feeling.

   overwhelmed by remorse.

2. to overpower or overcome, especially with superior forces; destroy; crush.

   Roman troops were overwhelmed by barbarians.

3. 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.

4. to load, heap, treat, or address with an overpowering or excessive amount of anything.

   a child overwhelmed with presents; to overwhelm someone with questions.

5. to overthrow.

overwhelm

/ ˌəʊvəˈwɛlm /

verb

1. to overpower the thoughts, emotions, or senses of

2. to overcome with irresistible force

3. to overcome, as with a profusion or concentration of something

4. to cover over or bury completely

5. to weigh or rest upon overpoweringly

6. archaic,  to overturn

Word History and Origins

Origin of overwhelm¹

A Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; over-, whelm

Example Sentences

Stocks fell sharply Friday as renewed tariff fears overwhelmed markets.

Read more on Barron's

An overwhelming majority of Greenlanders oppose the idea of annexation by the U.S., according to a January poll.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, many individual investors still want to believe higher fees are associated with higher returns.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Local authorities declared a “state of calamity” for all of Cebu Province and called for medical volunteers to support overwhelmed hospitals, especially in Bogo City, home to some 90,000 people, and surrounding villages.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In a physical, old-fashioned Big Ten battle, Michigan simply looked bigger and stronger at the line of scrimmage, while the Trojans looked largely overwhelmed.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bewilder 
• confound 
• confuse 
• demoralize 
• destroy 
• disturb 
• dumbfound 
• overcome 
• overpower 
• puzzle 
• shock 
• stun 
• surprise 
• swamp 
• upset 

When To Use

What’s the difference between overwhelm and underwhelm?

The over- in overwhelm means “too much” and the under- in underwhelm essentially means “too little,” and the two words can be direct opposites, but they’re usually used in different contexts.Overwhelm most commonly means to cause to be overcome with emotion as a result of an amount of something (work, stress, etc.) that’s just too much to handle. (It can also mean to overpower or physically cover beneath a mass of something). Underwhelm means to fail to impress, especially when that is the expectation.Both words are often used in adjective forms: overwhelmed (overcome to the point of not being able to manage), overwhelming (describing something that leads to feeling overwhelmed), underwhelmed (unimpressed or disappointed), and underwhelming (unimpressive or disappointing).Being overwhelmed isn’t always about stress or other negative emotions. You could be overwhelmed by a friend’s generosity or the birth of a child. Still, it’s usually about feeling a lot. In this way, underwhelm can be the opposite of overwhelm in some situations. For example, the same concert may overwhelm one person (perhaps it’s the first concert they’ve ever attended) but underwhelm someone else (maybe because it doesn’t meet their high expectations).And, yes, whelm is a word. It can mean the same thing as overwhelm, but it’s very rarely used.Here’s an example of overwhelm and underwhelm used correctly in the same sentence.Example: I never want to underwhelm the fans, and sometimes that pressure can overwhelm me, but it all goes away when I walk on stage.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between overwhelm and underwhelm.