overwhelm

Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to: navigation, search

Contents

English [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From over- +‎ whelm, or rather Middle English whelmen.

Pronunciation [edit]

Verb [edit]

overwhelm (third-person singular simple present overwhelms, present participle overwhelming, simple past and past participle overwhelmed)

  1. To engulf, surge-over and submerge
    The dinghy was overwhelmed by the great wave.
  2. To overpower, crush
    In December 1939 the Soviet Union attacked Finland with overwhelming force.
  3. To overpower emotionally
    He was overwhelmed with guilt.
    Joy overwhelmed her when she realized that she had won a million dollars.

Derived terms [edit]

Related terms [edit]

Translations [edit]

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.