overwhelmed

1 of 2

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

overwhelmed

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of overwhelm

Examples of overwhelmed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Both were overwhelmed on Saturday, and Swinney didn’t commit to who would start going forward. — Seth Emerson, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Hassouna and co-editor Denis LePaven pace the chronological patchwork of footage less as a story with a predestined shape, and more as shifting tiles of accumulating losses that the audience can traverse without being too overwhelmed. — Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026

Many women have felt overwhelmed to the point of drowning in the months after giving birth, and many have sought help but failed to receive it. — Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026

The Rattlers’ defense overwhelmed Gray’s former team, limiting Albany State to 160 total yards and 3 rushing yards while recording 10 sacks. — D’joumbarey A. Moreau, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1