Definitions for overwhelm
ˌoʊ vərˈʰwɛlm, -ˈwɛlmover·whelm

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:2.0 / 1 vote

1. overwhelm, overpower, sweep over, whelm, overcome, overtakeverb

   overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli

2. overwhelm, deluge, flood outverb

   charge someone with too many tasks

3. submerge, drown, overwhelmverb

   cover completely or make imperceptible

   "I was drowned in work"; "The noise drowned out her speech"

4. overpower, overmaster, overwhelmverb

   overcome by superior force

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. overwhelmverb

   To engulf, surge-over and submerge

   The dinghy was overwhelmed by the great wave.

2. overwhelmverb

   To overpower, crush

   In December 1939 the Soviet Union attacked Finland with overwhelming force.

3. overwhelmverb

   To overpower emotionally

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To Overwhelmverb

   Etymology: over and whelm.

   1. To crush underneath something violent and weighty.

   What age is this, where honest men,
   Plac’d at the helm,
   A sea of some foul mouth or pen,
   Shall overwhelm? Ben Jonson.

   Back do I toss these treasons to thy head,
   With the hell hated lie o’erwhelm thy heart. William Shakespeare.

   How trifling an apprehension is the shame of being laughed at by fools, when compared with that everlasting shame and astonishment which shall overwhelm the sinner, when he shall appear before the tribunal of Christ. John Rogers.

   Blind they rejoice, though now even now they fall;
   Death hastes amain; one hour o’erwhelms them all. Alexander Pope.

   2. To overlook gloomily.

   Let the brow o’erwhelm it,
   As fearfully as doth a galled rock
   O’erhang and jutty his confounded base. William Shakespeare.

   An apothecary late I noted,
   In tatter’d weeds with overwhelming brows,
   Culling of simples. William Shakespeare, Rom. and Juliet.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. overwhelm

   Overwhelm generally refers to having an extremely strong emotional effect whereby one feels completely overcome. It can also mean to give too much of a thing to someone or something, to the point that they cannot deal with it. Additionally, overwhelm can refer to the act of defeating someone or something by using a lot of force.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Overwhelm

   ō-vėr-hwelm′, v.t. to overspread and crush by something heavy or strong: to flow over and bear down: to overcome.—p.adj. Overwhel′ming, crushing with weight, &c.: irresistible.—adv. Overwhel′mingly.

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. overwhelm

   A comprehensive word derived from the Ang.-Saxon wylm, a wave. Thus the old song-- "Lash'd to the helm, should seas o'erwhelm."

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Overwhelm

   To engulf from above; to overcome by surpassing a threshold, defeat; confuse, disorient &c. This verb is more an ablative than a measure

   Some of the inhabitants of Pompeii were overwhelmed by hot fumes that came down from the Mount Vesuvius eruption. At their level, there was no more cool or clean air

   
   

   Submitted by thesignaturesnice on April 19, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Arouse
   • Beat
   • Charge
   • Cover

How to pronounce overwhelm?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say overwhelm in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of overwhelm in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of overwhelm in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of overwhelm in a Sentence

1. President Biden:

   I want to send a direct message to the American people: Due to the steps we've taken, omicron has not yet spread as fast as it would have otherwise done, but it's here now, and it's spreading, and it's going to increase ... We are looking at a winter of severe illness and death for the unvaccinated – for themselves, their families and the hospitals they'll soon overwhelm.

2. Bel Edwards:

   I'm fighting to save our people and I need every person in Louisiana to fight with me, we have to slow the spread so we don't overwhelm our capacity for health care.

3. Special Agent Kimberley Whittle:

   It’s based on … the fact that these terrorist groups are using coordinated attacks in an effort to overwhelm law enforcement and just create general panic.

4. Angie Asche:

   In large amounts, alcohol can overwhelm the gut, promoting intestinal inflammation and increasing harmful bacteria … (which) can lead to a wide range of health problems.

5. Merry Seabold:

   Intelligence always impressed Linda, but they couldn’t have been more different. She was a tall, lanky blondish brown hair gal who had a lot of friends and had worked a long time for one company. Paul was short… not very good-looking and didn’t really have a penny to his name, although he dressed well and spoke so eloquently. He had the ability to overwhelm you with his intelligence. She was really taken by that and overlooked everything else.

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References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=overwhelm
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Overwhelm
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=overwhelm
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=overwhelm
6. ^ Dictionary of Nautical Terms
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/26000/pg26000-images.html#:~:text=overwhelm