overwhelmed

adjective

over·​whelmed ˌō-vər-ˈ(h)welmd 

1

: overcome by force or numbers

Some jurisdictions are so overwhelmed that they are experimenting with routing school-children into specially designed courts that would keep first-time offenders from being saddled with an arrest record.

—Gary Fields and John R. Emshwiller

Only three Coast Guard rescue helicopters had managed to get into the air, and each was already overwhelmed by dozens of calls for help.

—Christopher Cooper and Robert Block

"We were overwhelmed," said John Robinson, the Rams' coach. "Clearly dominated."

—Paul Zimmerman

2

: completely overcome or overpowered by thought or feeling

When he first appeared in full regalia, I was overwhelmed.

—Jane Davison

Suddenly he felt overwhelmed by a wash of terror.

—Holly Black

He finds that the institutions that might compensate for what overwhelmed parents are unable to do are themselves undermined by stingy public policies.

—Lisbeth B. Schorr

Examples of overwhelmed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Irene, overwhelmed, joins her son’s therapy sessions, consults doctors and seeks help in traditional Chinese medicine at the local dispensary. —Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 11 Jan. 2026

The house is overwhelmed, however, by the lingering presence of Maxim’s first wife, Rebecca. —James Horncastle, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2026

Staff at hospitals in Iran said their facilities have become overwhelmed with injuries — including people suffering from gunshot wounds — as anti-government protests rage across the Islamic Republic, a report said. —Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 10 Jan. 2026

Mohammad Lesanpezeshki, a Chicago doctor educated in Tehran, told CNN that his friends working in Iranian hospitals are overwhelmed as more protesters are injured in the crackdown. —Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 10 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1