Definition of overwhelm Overwhelm

/owˌvɚwɛˈlm/ - [owverwelm] - o•ver•whelm

We found 16 definitions of overwhelm from 7 different sources.

What does overwhelm mean?

WordNet

Verb overwhelms, overwhelming, overwhelmed
overwhelm - overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
		overpower, sweep over, whelm, overcome, overtake
		enkindle, elicit, kindle, provoke, evoke, arouse, fire, raise derive by reason; "elicit a solution"
		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"
		kill destroy a vitally essential quality of or in; "Eating artichokes kills the taste of all other foods"
		benight make darker and difficult to perceive by sight
		knock out destroy or break forcefully; "The windows were knocked out"
		stagger to arrange in a systematic order; "stagger the chairs in the lecture hall"
		lock become rigid or immoveable; "The therapist noticed that the patient's knees tended to lock in this exercise"
overwhelm - charge someone with too many tasks
		deluge, flood out
		burden, saddle, charge weight down with a load
overwhelm - overcome by superior force
		overpower, overmaster
		vanquish, beat out, trounce, crush, shell, beat beat out a rhythm
		steamroll, steamroller make level or flat with a steamroller; "steamroll the roads"
overwhelm - cover completely or make imperceptible; "I was drowned in work"; "The noise drowned out her speech"
		submerge, drown
		spread over, cover clothe, as if for protection from the elements; "cover your head!"
		drown out make imperceptible; "The noise from the ice machine drowned out the music"

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Wiktionary

overwhelm (Verb)
To engulf, surge- over and submerge.
overwhelm (Verb)
To overpower, crush.
overwhelm (Verb)
To overpower emotionally.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

overwhelm (v. t.)
To cover over completely, as by a great wave; to overflow and bury beneath; to ingulf; hence, figuratively, to immerse and bear down; to overpower; to crush; to bury; to oppress, etc., overpoweringly.
overwhelm (v. t.)
To project or impend over threateningly.
overwhelm (v. t.)
To cause to surround, to cover.
overwhelm (n.)
The act of overwhelming.

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

overwhelm
Take away violently, to drop.
overwhelm
To subdue by superior force.

Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕

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