overwhelm

[oh-ver-hwelm, -welm] /ˌoʊ vərˈʰwɛlm, -ˈwɛlm/
verb (used with object)
1.
to overcome completely in mind or feeling:
overwhelmed by remorse.
2.
to overpower or overcome, especially with superior forces; destroy; crush:
Roman troops were overwhelmed by barbarians.
3.
to cover or bury beneath a mass of something, as floodwaters, debris, or an avalanche; submerge:
Lava from erupting Vesuvius overwhelmed the city of Pompeii.
4.
to load, heap, treat, or address with an overpowering or excessive amount of anything:
a child overwhelmed with presents; to overwhelm someone with questions.
5.
to overthrow.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English; see over-, whelm
Related forms
unoverwhelmed, adjective
Examples from the web for overwhelm
  • All the design claims may overwhelm the potential buyer.
  • But there are certain anti-stimuli that overwhelm even my well-honed capacity for fascination.
  • The unfree nations will grow so quickly that they will overwhelm free nations with their economic might.
  • With no natural enemies, alien species can overwhelm their adopted homes.
  • When daydreaming turns addictive and compulsive, it can overwhelm normal functioning, impeding relationships and work.
  • Use them sparingly, to accentuate the plants rather than overwhelm them.
  • But the startup is also careful not to overwhelm customers with foreboding information.
  • When a college's social reputation threatens to overwhelm its academic stature, the fraternity house stands.
  • The signal from the largest tends to overwhelm the others.
  • Potentially dangerous mold blooms can quickly overwhelm water-soaked structures.
British Dictionary definitions for overwhelm

overwhelm

/ˌəʊvəˈwɛlm/
verb (transitive)
1.
to overpower the thoughts, emotions, or senses of
2.
to overcome with irresistible force
3.
to overcome, as with a profusion or concentration of something
4.
to cover over or bury completely
5.
to weigh or rest upon overpoweringly
6.
(archaic) to overturn
Word Origin and History for overwhelm
v.

early 14c., "to turn upside down, to overthrow," from over- + Middle English whelmen "to turn upside down" (see whelm). Meaning "to submerge completely" is mid-15c. Perhaps the connecting notion is a boat, etc., washed over, and overset, by a big wave. Figurative sense of "to bring to ruin" is attested from 1520s. Related: Overwhelmed; overwhelming; overwhelmingly.