o
ver
whelm
Third Person
overwhelms
Present Participle
overwhelming
Past Tense
overwhelmed
Past Participle
overwhelmed
1
to overpower someone or something emotionally or mentally, leaving them unable to respond effectively
- The news of her promotion overwhelmed her with joy.
- The students were overwhelmed by the complexity of the assignment.
- A sense of relief overwhelmed him after the exam.
- The letter overwhelmed him with nostalgia.
- Anxiety overwhelmed him during the interview.
Synonyms:
2
to burden someone with more work, responsibilities, or demands than they can manage
- The manager overwhelmed her team with tasks.
- He was overwhelmed by requests from clients.
- Daily chores can overwhelm new parents.
- The project overwhelmed the small staff.
- The sheer number of applications overwhelmed the volunteers.
3
to defeat or overpower by superior physical or strategic force
- The army overwhelmed the enemy troops.
- Floodwaters overwhelms the levee.
- The small company was overwhelmed by larger competitors.
- The sheer numbers of attackers overwhelmed the defenders.
- The police quickly overwhelmed the suspects.
Synonyms:
4
to completely cover or submerge something so that it becomes hard to perceive or manage
- Rising floodwaters can overwhelm the streets.
- The room was overwhelmed by smoke.
- Her desk was overwhelmed by piles of papers.
- The city was overwhelmed by snow after the blizzard.
- The waves overwhelmed the small boat.