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
NPR, 19 Nov. 2025
The farms Colicchio bought from were celebrated right on the menu, and their wares were not overwhelmed by overcomplicated cooking.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 19 Nov. 2025
The change did little to help the Horned Frogs as TCU was overwhelmed by the strength of BYU’s defensive line most of the night.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Nov. 2025
The Bucks overwhelmed Charlotte in overtime after surrendering a late lead in regulation.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Nov. 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 27 Nov. 2025.
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overwhelm
verb
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