overwhelming

adjective

over·​whelm·​ing ˌō-vər-ˈ(h)wel-miŋ 

: tending or serving to overwhelm

overwhelming force

overwhelming evidence

also : extreme, great

overwhelming indifference

an overwhelming majority

Examples of overwhelming in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For Democrats, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is the overwhelming favorite over Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson. — ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026

Response to the post was so overwhelming, Reynolds suggested a documentary. — Jenelle Riley, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026

The Hurricanes were voted as the overwhelming favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference, something UM has not accomplished yet since joining the league in 2004. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 4 Aug. 2026

In all three campaigns, Washington supplied or sold the overwhelming share of the military hardware, intelligence support, training, and diplomatic backing. — Dafna H. Rand, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

overwhelming

adjective

over·​whelm·​ing ˌō-vər-ˈhwel-miŋ 

-wel-

: great sense 4, extreme

an overwhelming response

overwhelmingly adverb