overwhelm
verb
Did you know?
Let’s face it: life can get overwhelming. A person might be overwhelmed by a sensory experience or emotion; a city might be overwhelmed by an influx of tourists. Things can underwhelm, too: a bland meal, a bare wall, a lackluster playlist. But how often does an experience just, well, whelm you? The answer, unassumingly, is just as often as one overwhelms you—the two verbs are in fact largely synonymous. Both come from Middle English whelmen, meaning "to overturn," and overwhelm has always been more popular, perhaps because the emphatic redundancy of overwhelm makes it seem more apt for describing reactions to powerful forces or feelings.
Examples of overwhelm in a Sentence
Annie Goodykoontz, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025
In recent weeks, Russia has been sending swarms of drones to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and then following up with ballistic missiles, which are harder to shoot down.
—Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 17 June 2025
Two to 4 inches of rain fell within a matter of hours late June 14, which overwhelmed and flooded the nearby Appalachian creeks and waterways, Weather.com reported.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 17 June 2025
That means empowering employees, not overwhelming them.
—Dan Adika, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for overwhelm
Cite this Entry
“Overwhelm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overwhelm. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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overwhelm
verb
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