Meanings
present singular third person overwhelms · participle present overwhelming · participle past overwhelmed · past overwhelmed · alternative poetic o'erwhelm
- To overpower emotionally.
He was overwhelmed with guilt.
2 more examples
Joy overwhelmed her when she realized that she had won a million dollars.
Theon Greyjoy is the most well developed character on that stage, and the action comes down to him. Euron, with Yara underneath his ax, goads Theon into attack. But Theon is overwhelmed by the violence all around him, and instead he jumps overboard.
2017 July 23, Brandon Nowalk, “The great game begins with a bang on Game Of Thrones (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club, archived from the original on 26 Jul 2017 - To cause to surround, to cover.
I lay Turpentine all over the same: then I overwhelm a broader pipe about the first
1684, Denis Papin, Instrument to make turpentine penetrate plaster and wood using the airpump
plural overwhelms · alternative poetic o'erwhelm
- countableuncountableThe state or condition of being overwhelmed.
And what you’re feeling is normal in a dangerous situation — overwhelm and guilt when someone is harmed.
2021, Star Trek: Discovery, “Stormy Weather”, season 4, episode 6, spoken by Michael Burnham2 more examples
If you beat your opponent by a margin of 5 or more, you have Overwhelmingly Succeeded. This type of success is often simply called an Overwhelm. […] An overwhelm means you've not only succeeded, but you've done something better than the average success would be.
1999, Jason Holmgren, IronclawThe fact is, that full permeation and understanding of an overwhelm or trauma makes it cease as an overwhelm or trauma.
2015, Rolf Dane, Deep Clearing, Releasing the Power of Your MindSynonyms: overwhelmedness, overwhelmment
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo engulf, surge over and submerge.
nounThe state or condition of being overwhelmed.
More synonyms by meaning
verbovercome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*úp
- Proto-Indo-European*upér
- Proto-Germanic*uber
- Old Englishofer-
- Middle Englishover-
- Proto-Indo-European*kʷelp-
- Proto-Germanic*kʷolpós
- Proto-Germanic*hwalbazder.?
- Proto-Indo-European*kʷelp-
- Proto-Germanic*kʷólpo-
- Proto-Germanic*hwalbąder.?
- Old Englishhwealf
- Old English*hwealfnian
- Old English*hwealmnian?
- Middle Englishwhelmen
- Middle Englishoverwhelmen
- Englishoverwhelm
Inherited from Middle English overwhelmen, equivalent to over- + whelm.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic اِسْتَبَدَّ
- اِسْتَبَدَّ (istabadda)to overpower, crush
Bulgarian заливам, разбивам
- заливам (zalivam)engulf, surge over
- разбивам (razbivam)to overpower, crush
- съкрушавам (săkrušavam)to overpower, crush
- смайвам (smajvam)overpower emotionally
- поразявам (porazjavam)overpower emotionally
Catalan superar, superar
- superarengulf, surge over
- superarto overpower, crush
- superaroverpower emotionally
- atrafegaroverpower emotionally
Chinese Mandarin 吞沒 /吞没, 壓倒 /压倒
- 吞沒 /吞没 (tūnmò)engulf, surge over
- 壓倒 /压倒 (yādǎo)to overpower, crush
- 壓垮 /压垮 (yākuǎ)overpower emotionally
- 壓倒 /压倒 (yādǎo)overpower emotionally
Czech zaplavit, zaplavovat
- zaplavitengulf, surge over
- zaplavovatengulf, surge over
- zavalitengulf, surge over
- přemocito overpower, crush
- zmáhatto overpower, crush
- zdolatto overpower, crush
- zdolávatto overpower, crush
- přemáhatto overpower, crush
- přemocioverpower emotionally
- ochromitoverpower emotionally
- ochromovatoverpower emotionally
- uchvátitoverpower emotionally
Danish overmande, overvælde
- overmandeto overpower, crush
- overvældeoverpower emotionally
Dutch overweldigen, overmannen
- overweldigento overpower, crush
- overmannento overpower, crush
Finnish hukuttaa, murskata
- hukuttaaengulf, surge over
- murskatato overpower, crush
- hukuttaa alleenoverpower emotionally
- vallataoverpower emotionally
- häkellyttääoverpower emotionally
- musertaaoverpower emotionally
French abreuver, accabler
- abreuverengulf, surge over
- accablerto overpower, crush
- envahirto overpower, crush
- accableroverpower emotionally
German überwältigen, übermannen
- überwältigento overpower, crush
- übermannento overpower, crush
Hindi अभिभूत, अभिभूत
- अभिभूत (abhibhūt)engulf, surge over
- अभिभूत (abhibhūt)to overpower, crush
Hungarian eláraszt, elönt
- elárasztengulf, surge over
- elöntengulf, surge over
- legyőzto overpower, crush
- túlterhelto overpower, crush
- elborítto overpower, crush
- hatalmába kerítoverpower emotionally
- úrrá leszoverpower emotionally
- elfogoverpower emotionally
- elöntoverpower emotionally
- erőt veszoverpower emotionally
- lesújtoverpower emotionally
Icelandic altaka, gagntaka
- altakaoverpower emotionally
- gagntakaoverpower emotionally
Italian sommergere, schiacciare
- sommergereengulf, surge over
- schiacciareto overpower, crush
- dominareto overpower, crush
- travolgereoverpower emotionally
- sopraffareoverpower emotionally
- sconvolgereoverpower emotionally
- emozionareoverpower emotionally
Japanese 圧倒する
- 圧倒する (attō suru)to overpower, crush
Korean 압도하다
- 압도하다 (apdohada)to overpower, crush
Latin obruō, obruō
- obruōengulf, surge over
- obruōto overpower, crush
Malay tenggelam, mengalahkan
- tenggelamengulf, surge over
- mengalahkanto overpower, crush
- terharuoverpower emotionally
- tenggelamoverpower emotionally
Māori āpuru, whakatina
- āpuruengulf, surge over
- whakatinaengulf, surge over
- taupokito overpower, crush
- haukerekereto overpower, crush
- āpuruto overpower, crush
- poketo overpower, crush
- haukerekereoverpower emotionally
Norwegian Bokmål overvelde, overvelde
- overveldeto overpower, crush
- overveldeoverpower emotionally
Polish zalewać, miażdżyć
- zalewaćengulf, surge over
- miażdżyćto overpower, crush
- przytłaczaćoverpower emotionally
- przytłoczyćoverpower emotionally
- ogarniaćoverpower emotionally
- ogarnąćoverpower emotionally
Portuguese engolir, dominar
- engolirengulf, surge over
- dominarto overpower, crush
- esmagarto overpower, crush
- avassalarto overpower, crush
- dominaroverpower emotionally
Romanian înghiți, copleși
- înghițiengulf, surge over
- copleșito overpower, crush
- copleșioverpower emotionally
Russian поглоща́ть, зава́ливать
- поглоща́ть (pogloščátʹ)engulf, surge over
- зава́ливать (zaválivatʹ)engulf, surge over
- подавля́ть (podavljátʹ)to overpower, crush
- сокруша́ть (sokrušátʹ)to overpower, crush
- разбива́ть (razbivátʹ)to overpower, crush
- переси́ливать (peresílivatʹ)to overpower, crush
- переполня́ть (perepolnjátʹ)overpower emotionally
- захлёстывать (zaxljóstyvatʹ)overpower emotionally
- поглощать (pogloščatʹ)overpower emotionally
Spanish apabullar, arrollar
- apabullarto overpower, crush
- arrollarto overpower, crush
- agobiaroverpower emotionally
- abrumaroverpower emotionally
- apabullaroverpower emotionally
Swedish överväldiga, överväldiga
- överväldigato overpower, crush
- överväldigaoverpower emotionally
Ukrainian поглина́ти, зава́лювати
- поглина́ти (pohlynáty)engulf, surge over
- зава́лювати (zaváljuvaty)engulf, surge over
- придуши́ти (prydušýty)to overpower, crush
- розгроми́ти (rozhromýty)to overpower, crush
- розби́ти (rozbýty)to overpower, crush
- переванта́жувати (perevantážuvaty)to overpower, crush
- переважа́ти (perevažáty)to overpower, crush
- приголо́мшувати (pryholómšuvaty)overpower emotionally
- перепо́внювати (perepóvnjuvaty)overpower emotionally
Yiddish אַוועקלייגן
- אַוועקלייגן (avekleygn)to overpower, crush
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with overwhelm
Cite this entry
overwhelm. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overwhelm
“overwhelm.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overwhelm. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “overwhelm,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overwhelm.
Source: overwhelm on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.