1
as in to overcome
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress
just the thought of how much work there is to do overwhelms me
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to engulf
to cover with a flood
that spring the massive runoff from melting snows overwhelmed the valley
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overwhelm
An emergency relief program for businesses was immediately overwhelmed by demand.
—
Erica E. Phillips, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2025
The hour unfolds through a big location, features dozens of extras, and its focus keeps shifting between the cops, the teachers, and various groups of students who are having wildly disparate responses to the murder, from overwhelming grief to juvenile amusement.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2025
In fact, almost half of those parents polled reported a sense of overwhelming stress on most days, compared with 26 percent of other adults.
—Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
During rainstorms, runoff sometimes overwhelms the plant’s sewage treatment system, dumping a mixture of sewage and storm runoff directly into the Pacific Ocean – an event known as a combined sewer overflow.
—Robin Kundis Craig, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overwhelm
Erica E. Phillips, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2025
The hour unfolds through a big location, features dozens of extras, and its focus keeps shifting between the cops, the teachers, and various groups of students who are having wildly disparate responses to the murder, from overwhelming grief to juvenile amusement.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2025
In fact, almost half of those parents polled reported a sense of overwhelming stress on most days, compared with 26 percent of other adults.
—Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
During rainstorms, runoff sometimes overwhelms the plant’s sewage treatment system, dumping a mixture of sewage and storm runoff directly into the Pacific Ocean – an event known as a combined sewer overflow.
—Robin Kundis Craig, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overwhelm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overwhelm
Verb
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Both Banchero and Wagner, who started alongside Cory Joseph, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Wendell Carter Jr., were able to overcome the defensive attention from the Kings and attack the basket with ease.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Mar. 2025
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Recognizing these challenges is the first step toward overcoming them.—
Caroline Castrillon,
Forbes.com,
30 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The fires engulfed 22 structures, forced evacuations on 18 roads and required an injured firefighter to be airlifted to a hospital.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Mar. 2025
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And some said they were simply fatigued by the controversies engulfing the university.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This decision devastated Ajax, whose honor and ego were deeply wounded.—
Antonis Kocheilas,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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When Hurricane Milton ripped through Tampa Bay on October 9, less than two weeks had passed since Hurricane Helene struck the same area, and the region was devastated.—
Chad Jennings,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Playboi Carti Scores 30 Hot 100 Hits at Once This week, Playboi Carti floods the Hot 100 with an incredible 30 tracks.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
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More than 400 Reddit users flooded the comments section of the post with admiration, calling the moment heartwarming and even offering to help the kittens out on their journey to being adopted.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Crockett has faced significant backlash for the remarks about Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who was paralyzed from the waist down in 1984 after being crushed by an oak tree while jogging.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
1 Apr. 2025
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Huawei, once the world’s biggest smartphone player, saw its smartphone business in particular crushed by U.S. sanctions that restricted its access to key chips and Google software.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Tragedy struck the Kilmer family in 1977 when Kilmer’s younger brother Wesley drowned at the young age of 15.—
Ale Russian,
People.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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His younger brother Wesley drowned in a swimming pool in 1977, an event that haunted Kilmer for years afterward.—
The New York Times,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overwhelm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overwhelm. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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