overwhelm Definition
- 1bury or drown beneath a huge mass
- 2defeat completely
- 3give too much of a thing to someone
- 4have a strong emotional effect on
Using overwhelm: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "overwhelm" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
The city was overwhelmed by the flood.
Example
I was overwhelmed with joy when I heard the news.
Example
The team was overwhelmed by their opponents in the final match.
Example
She was overwhelmed by the amount of work she had to do.
overwhelm Synonyms and Antonyms
Idioms Using overwhelm
be overwhelmed by events
to be unable to cope with a situation because it is too difficult or too many things are happening at once
Example
The new employee was overwhelmed by events on his first day at work.
to have too much work to do and feel unable to cope with it
Example
She was overwhelmed with work and didn't know how to manage her time.
to have a strong emotional reaction to something
Example
He was overwhelmed by emotion when he saw his newborn baby for the first time.
Phrases with overwhelm
Example
The staff at the hotel overwhelmed us with kindness during our stay.
to give someone more information than they can process or handle
Example
The professor overwhelmed the students with information during the lecture.
Example
The menu overwhelmed us with options, making it hard to decide what to order.
Origins of overwhelm
from Old English 'oferwealmian', meaning 'to overturn'
Summary: overwhelm in Brief
The verb 'overwhelm' [ˌəʊvəˈwelm] means to bury or defeat completely, give too much of a thing to someone, or have a strong emotional effect on. It can be used in various contexts, such as being overwhelmed by work or emotions, or overwhelming someone with kindness or information. Synonyms include 'crush,' 'devastate,' and 'inundate.'
