overwhelm
Also found in: Thesaurus.
o·ver·whelm
(ō′vər-wĕlm′, -hwĕlm′)tr.v. o·ver·whelmed, o·ver·whelm·ing, o·ver·whelms
1. To surge over and submerge; engulf: waves overwhelming the rocky shoreline.
2.
a. To defeat completely and decisively: Our team overwhelmed the visitors by 40 points.
b. To affect deeply in mind or emotion: Despair overwhelmed me.
3. To present with an excessive amount: They overwhelmed us with expensive gifts.
4. To turn over; upset: The small craft was overwhelmed by the enormous waves.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
overwhelm
(ˌəʊvəˈwɛlm)vb (tr)
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
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
o•ver•whelm
(ˌoʊ vərˈʰwɛlm, -ˈwɛlm)v.t.
1. to overpower in mind or feeling: overwhelmed by remorse.
2. to overpower with superior force or numbers.
3. to cover or bury beneath a mass of something.
4. to burden excessively.
[1300–50; Middle English]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
overwhelm
Past participle: overwhelmed
Gerund: overwhelming
| Imperative |
|---|
| overwhelm |
| overwhelm |
| Present |
|---|
| I overwhelm |
| you overwhelm |
| he/she/it overwhelms |
| we overwhelm |
| you overwhelm |
| they overwhelm |
| Preterite |
|---|
| I overwhelmed |
| you overwhelmed |
| he/she/it overwhelmed |
| we overwhelmed |
| you overwhelmed |
| they overwhelmed |
| Present Continuous |
|---|
| I am overwhelming |
| you are overwhelming |
| he/she/it is overwhelming |
| we are overwhelming |
| you are overwhelming |
| they are overwhelming |
| Present Perfect |
|---|
| I have overwhelmed |
| you have overwhelmed |
| he/she/it has overwhelmed |
| we have overwhelmed |
| you have overwhelmed |
| they have overwhelmed |
| Past Continuous |
|---|
| I was overwhelming |
| you were overwhelming |
| he/she/it was overwhelming |
| we were overwhelming |
| you were overwhelming |
| they were overwhelming |
| Past Perfect |
|---|
| I had overwhelmed |
| you had overwhelmed |
| he/she/it had overwhelmed |
| we had overwhelmed |
| you had overwhelmed |
| they had overwhelmed |
| Future |
|---|
| I will overwhelm |
| you will overwhelm |
| he/she/it will overwhelm |
| we will overwhelm |
| you will overwhelm |
| they will overwhelm |
| Future Perfect |
|---|
| I will have overwhelmed |
| you will have overwhelmed |
| he/she/it will have overwhelmed |
| we will have overwhelmed |
| you will have overwhelmed |
| they will have overwhelmed |
| Future Continuous |
|---|
| I will be overwhelming |
| you will be overwhelming |
| he/she/it will be overwhelming |
| we will be overwhelming |
| you will be overwhelming |
| they will be overwhelming |
| Present Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I have been overwhelming |
| you have been overwhelming |
| he/she/it has been overwhelming |
| we have been overwhelming |
| you have been overwhelming |
| they have been overwhelming |
| Future Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I will have been overwhelming |
| you will have been overwhelming |
| he/she/it will have been overwhelming |
| we will have been overwhelming |
| you will have been overwhelming |
| they will have been overwhelming |
| Past Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I had been overwhelming |
| you had been overwhelming |
| he/she/it had been overwhelming |
| we had been overwhelming |
| you had been overwhelming |
| they had been overwhelming |
| Conditional |
|---|
| I would overwhelm |
| you would overwhelm |
| he/she/it would overwhelm |
| we would overwhelm |
| you would overwhelm |
| they would overwhelm |
| Past Conditional |
|---|
| I would have overwhelmed |
| you would have overwhelmed |
| he/she/it would have overwhelmed |
| we would have overwhelmed |
| you would have overwhelmed |
| they would have overwhelmed |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Verb 1. overwhelm - overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
devastate - overwhelm or overpower; "He was devastated by his grief when his son died"
clutch, get hold of, seize - affect; "Fear seized the prisoners"; "The patient was seized with unbearable pains"; "He was seized with a dreadful disease"
arouse, elicit, evoke, provoke, enkindle, kindle, fire, raise - call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses); "arouse pity"; "raise a smile"; "evoke sympathy"
kill - overwhelm with hilarity, pleasure, or admiration; "The comedian was so funny, he was killing me!"
benight - overtake with darkness or night
knock out - overwhelm with admiration; "All the guys were knocked out by her charm"
stagger - astound or overwhelm, as with shock; "She was staggered with bills after she tried to rebuild her house following the earthquake"
lock - hold fast (in a certain state); "He was locked in a laughing fit"
2. overwhelm - charge someone with too many tasks
3. overwhelm - cover completely or make imperceptible; "I was drowned in work"; "The noise drowned out her speech"
spread over, cover - form a cover over; "The grass covered the grave"
4. overwhelm - overcome by superior force
beat, beat out, vanquish, trounce, crush, shell - come out better in a competition, race, or conflict; "Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship"; "We beat the competition"; "Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game"
steamroll, steamroller - overwhelm by using great force; "steamroller the opposition"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
overwhelm
verb
1. overcome, overpower, devastate, stagger, get the better of, bowl over (informal), prostrate, knock (someone) for six (informal), render speechless, render incapable, render powerless, render helpless, sweep (someone) off his or her feet, take (someone's) breath away He was overwhelmed by a longing for times past.
2. destroy, beat, defeat, overcome, smash, crush, massacre, conquer, wipe out, overthrow, knock out, lick (informal), subdue, rout, eradicate, overpower, quell, annihilate, put paid to, vanquish, subjugate, immobilize, make mincemeat of (informal), cut to pieces One massive Allied offensive would overwhelm the weakened enemy.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
overwhelm
verb1. To flow over completely:
2. To render totally ineffective by decisive defeat:
4. To impair severely something such as the spirit, health, or effectiveness of:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَغْمُر
agobiaratabalar
uchvátit
overvælde
yfiròyrma
pārņemtsatriekt
przywalić
zavaliť
preplaviti
överväldiga
başından aşmakhakkından gelmekyenmek
overwhelm
[ˌəʊvəˈwelm] VT2. (= overcome) [difficulties, fear, loneliness] → abrumar
sorrow overwhelmed him → estaba abrumado por el dolor
try not to let panic overwhelm you → intenta que el pánico no se apodere de ti
I felt overwhelmed by events/her → me sentía abrumado por los acontecimientos/por ella
he was overwhelmed by their kindness → su amabilidad le dejó abrumado or le conmovió profundamente
she was overwhelmed with grief → estaba sumida en la tristeza
she was overwhelmed with joy → rebosaba de alegría
sorrow overwhelmed him → estaba abrumado por el dolor
try not to let panic overwhelm you → intenta que el pánico no se apodere de ti
I felt overwhelmed by events/her → me sentía abrumado por los acontecimientos/por ella
he was overwhelmed by their kindness → su amabilidad le dejó abrumado or le conmovió profundamente
she was overwhelmed with grief → estaba sumida en la tristeza
she was overwhelmed with joy → rebosaba de alegría
3. (= inundate, overload) (with work) → abrumar, agobiar ; (with questions, requests, information) → atosigar
you shouldn't overwhelm the customer with too much information → no deberías atosigar al cliente con demasiada información
we have been overwhelmed with offers of help → nos han inundado las ofertas de ayuda
you shouldn't overwhelm the customer with too much information → no deberías atosigar al cliente con demasiada información
we have been overwhelmed with offers of help → nos han inundado las ofertas de ayuda
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
overwhelm
[ˌəʊvərˈhwɛlm] vt [need, feeling] → submerger
The horror of it all had overwhelmed me → L'horreur de tout cela m'avait submergé.
The horror of it all had overwhelmed me → L'horreur de tout cela m'avait submergé.
[+ enemy] → écraser
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
overwhelm
vt
(= overpower: strong feelings) → überwältigen ; he was overwhelmed when they gave him the present → er war zutiefst gerührt, als sie ihm das Geschenk gaben ; Venice overwhelmed me → ich fand Venedig überwältigend ; to be overwhelmed with joy/grief → von Freude/Trauer überwältigt sein; you overwhelm me! (iro) → da bin ich aber sprachlos!
(fig) (with favours, praise) → überschütten, überhäufen ; (with questions) → bestürmen ; (with work) → überhäufen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
overwhelm
[ˌəʊvəˈwɛlm] vt (opponent, team) → schiacciare ; (with questions, requests, work) → sommergeresorrow overwhelmed him → il dolore lo sopraffece
overwhelmed by her kindness → confuso dalla sua gentilezza
to be overwhelmed (touched, impressed) → rimanere colpito/a
we have been overwhelmed with offers of help → siamo stati sommersi da offerte di aiuto
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
overwhelm
(əuvəˈwelm) verb to defeat or overcome. He was overwhelmed with work/grief. oorweldig, oorstelp, verpletter يَغْمُر затрупвам esmagar zavalit, přemoci überwältigen overvælde κατακλύζω, κυριεύω, καταβάλλω vencer, aplastar; agobiar, abrumar enese alla matma از پا درآمدن؛ در هم شکستن hukkua johonkin écraser לְהַמֵם अभिभूत svladati, poraziti elnyom menguasai yfirþyrma sopraffare 圧倒する 압도(제압)하다 prislėgti, priblokšti, apimti pārņemt; satriekt mengalahkan overstelpen overvelde, overmanne przygniatać له پوښو لويدل esmagar a copleşi заваливать; подавлять; переполнять zavaliť; premôcť uničiti ophrvati överväldiga, -manna, tynga ner, krossa ทําให้ความรู้สึกท่วมท้น yenmek, hakkından gelmek 壓倒,受打擊 сповнювати, охоплювати شکست دينا، قابو پانا áp đảo 压倒,受打击
ˌoverˈwhelming adjective very great. an overwhelming victory. oorweldigende ساحِق، عَظيم смазващ esmagador drtivý überwältigend overvældende συντριπτικός aplastante; abrumador, agobiante; irresistible tohutu عظیم ylivoimainen écrasant מוחץ अत्यधिक velik, nadmoćan elsöprő sangat besar yfirgnæfandi schiacciante 圧倒的な 압도적인 triuškinantis milzīgs; pārliecinošs sangat besar overweldigend overveldende przytłaczający لوى esmagador copleşitor; zdrobitor огромный drvivý, ohromný silen ogroman överväldigande, förkrossande อย่างยิ่งใหญ่ büyük, ezici 很大的,勢不可擋的 переважаючий زبردست tràn ngập; quá lớn 很大的,势不可挡的
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
overwhelm
v. abrumar; colmar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
overwhelm
vt agobiarEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.