whelm

[ welm, hwelm ]

/ wɛlm, ʰwɛlm /

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See synonyms for whelm on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to submerge; engulf.

to overcome utterly; overwhelm: whelmed by misfortune.

verb (used without object)

to roll or surge over something, as in becoming submerged.

QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

Question 1 of 7

What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of whelm

1250–1300; Middle English whelme, apparently blend of dial. whelve (Old English gehwelfan to bend over) and helm² (v.) (Old English helmian to cover)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use whelm in a sentence

But such amazement as came to her was whelmed fathoms-deep in her sudden fears for Marius.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
A glorious lustre broke through the mist that whelmed her eyes, and a faint color sprung to her pallid cheek.
Graham's Magazine Vol XXXII No. 6 June 1848|Various
The Chamberlain still leaned wearily against the door jamb, mentally whelmed by dejection, bodily weak as water.
Doom Castle|Neil Munro
His desire whelmed him like a wave; it filled his soul like a perfume, and against his will it rose to his lips in words.
A Mere Accident|George Moore

One only is wanting, whom our eyes saw whelmed amid the waves; all else is answerable to thy mother's words.'
The Aeneid of Virgil|Virgil

British Dictionary definitions for whelm

whelm

/ (wɛlm) /

verb (tr) archaic

to engulf entirely with or as if with water

another word for overwhelm

Word Origin for whelm

C13: whelmen to turn over, of uncertain origin

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

whelm

Origin of whelm

Words related to whelm

How to use whelm in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for whelm

Word Origin for whelm