overwhelm

verb

over·whelm ˌō-vər-ˈ(h)welm How to pronounce overwhelm (audio)

overwhelmed; overwhelming; overwhelms

transitive verb

: upset, overthrow

The tornado overwhelmed many mobile homes.

: to cover over completely : submerge

The city was overwhelmed by the flooding caused by the hurricane.

: to overcome by superior force or numbers

The city was overwhelmed by the invading army.

: to overpower in thought or feeling

overwhelmed with grief

overwhelmed by terror

A sense of inadequacy overwhelmed me.

overwhelmed with guilt

Did you know?

Let’s face it: life can get overwhelming. A person might be overwhelmed by a sensory experience or emotion; a city might be overwhelmed by an influx of tourists. Things can underwhelm, too: a bland meal, a bare wall, a lackluster playlist. But how often does an experience just, well, whelm you? The answer, unassumingly, is just as often as one overwhelms you—the two verbs are in fact largely synonymous. Both come from Middle English whelmen, meaning "to overturn," and overwhelm has always been more popular, perhaps because the emphatic redundancy of overwhelm makes it seem more apt for describing reactions to powerful forces or feelings.

Example Sentences

Don't overwhelm him with facts. They were overwhelmed with work. The city was overwhelmed by the invading army.

Recent Examples on the Web Brendel, 6-foot-4 and 299 pounds, doesn’t overwhelm defensive linemen with size or power, which helps explain his journeyman resume.

Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Sep. 2022 Remember, don’t overwhelm yourself by taking on too much.

Nicole Serena Silver, Forbes, 26 June 2022 Despite impressive testing numbers, Williams doesn’t overwhelm with quickness, explosiveness or athleticism off the bounce.

Chris Fedor, cleveland, 19 June 2022 Grief does not overwhelm the soul nearly as much as $13M from the NRA overwhelms your bank account.

Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 27 May 2022 Once-routine tasks and easy lifts suddenly overwhelm her.

Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2022 The emotions of the past few weeks overwhelm him at times.

Matt Canham, The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Sep. 2021 Counties are considered to have high transmission levels when community coronavirus circulation could overwhelm local hospitals.

Julie Washington, cleveland, 26 Aug. 2022 Coach Jaime Murphy doesn’t want to let those expectations overwhelm her 10-runner squad.

BostonGlobe.com, 26 Aug. 2022 See More

单词	overwhelms
释义	overwhelm verb over·whelm ˌō-vər-ˈ(h)welm overwhelmed; overwhelming; overwhelms transitive verb 1 : upset, overthrow The tornado overwhelmed many mobile homes. 2 a : to cover over completely : submerge The city was overwhelmed by the flooding caused by the hurricane. b : to overcome by superior force or numbers The city was overwhelmed by the invading army. c : to overpower in thought or feeling overwhelmed with grief overwhelmed by terror A sense of inadequacy overwhelmed me. overwhelmed with guilt Did you know? Let’s face it: life can get overwhelming. A person might be overwhelmed by a sensory experience or emotion; a city might be overwhelmed by an influx of tourists. Things can underwhelm, too: a bland meal, a bare wall, a lackluster playlist. But how often does an experience just, well, whelm you? The answer, unassumingly, is just as often as one overwhelms you—the two verbs are in fact largely synonymous. Both come from Middle English whelmen, meaning "to overturn," and overwhelm has always been more popular, perhaps because the emphatic redundancy of overwhelm makes it seem more apt for describing reactions to powerful forces or feelings. Synonyms crush devastate floor grind (down) oppress overcome overmaster overpower prostrate snow under swamp whelm See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Don't overwhelm him with facts. They were overwhelmed with work. The city was overwhelmed by the invading army. Recent Examples on the Web Brendel, 6-foot-4 and 299 pounds, doesn’t overwhelm defensive linemen with size or power, which helps explain his journeyman resume. Eric Branch, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Sep. 2022 Remember, don’t overwhelm yourself by taking on too much. Nicole Serena Silver, Forbes, 26 June 2022 Despite impressive testing numbers, Williams doesn’t overwhelm with quickness, explosiveness or athleticism off the bounce. Chris Fedor, cleveland, 19 June 2022 Grief does not overwhelm the soul nearly as much as $13M from the NRA overwhelms your bank account. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 27 May 2022 Once-routine tasks and easy lifts suddenly overwhelm her. Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2022 The emotions of the past few weeks overwhelm him at times. Matt Canham, The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Sep. 2021 Counties are considered to have high transmission levels when community coronavirus circulation could overwhelm local hospitals. Julie Washington, cleveland, 26 Aug. 2022 Coach Jaime Murphy doesn’t want to let those expectations overwhelm her 10-runner squad. BostonGlobe.com, 26 Aug. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Middle English, from over entry 1 + whelmen to turn over, cover up First Known Use 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Kids Definition overwhelm verb over·whelm ˌō-vər-ˈhwelm -ˈwelm overwhelmed; overwhelming 1 : to overcome completely (as with great force or emotion) The larger army overwhelmed the troops. She was overwhelmed with grief. 2 : to cover over completely : submerge Waves overwhelmed the small boat. overwhelms verb present tense third-person singular of overwhelm 1 as in overcomes to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress just the thought of how much work there is to do overwhelms me Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance overcomes devastates overpowers oppresses crushes disturbs whelms drowns swamps rocks prostrates shatters upsets overmasters floors defeats snows under grinds (down) sinks distresses deluges staggers throws unnerves refutes demoralizes confutes unmans breaks 2 as in engulfs to cover with a flood that spring the massive runoff from melting snows overwhelmed the valley Synonyms & Similar Words engulfs floods drowns submerges inundates overflows overcomes swamps deluges gulfs smothers flushes submerses flows avalanches gushes overruns drenches wets pours sluices soaks spurts streams douses spouts dowses Antonyms & Near Antonyms drains dries dehydrates parches
随便看	tide line tide lock tide mill tide over tide pool tide predictor tide race tide register tide rip tide staff tide table tide through tide wave tide wheel tide-rode tided tided over tideflat tideful tidehead tideland tideland spruce tidelands tideless tidemark

overwhelm

verb

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

verb

verb