OVERCAME Synonyms: 114 Similar and Opposite Words

overcame

verb

past tense of overcome

as in defeated

to achieve a victory over the baseball team finally overcame their opponents in the 13th inning

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in overwhelmed

to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress already under stress, she was overcome by news of a death in the family

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of overcame Kaprizov and Hartman scored in the third period as Minnesota overcame a 3-1 deficit to force overtime. — CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 Craig overcame being sacked four times and the run game producing just 33 yards to lead TCU to the massive victory, as the Horned Frogs scored multiple touchdowns against a Power Four conference opponent for the first time this season. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026 Joe Jackson ran for 159 yards and a touchdown, Avery Johnson threw for 203 yards and another score, and the Wildcats overcame a multitude of mistakes while rallying from an early 10-point hole to keep nearly two decades of dominance going. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 In Game 1, the Rays had a lead, and the Guardians overcame the deficit late in the game. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026 Dream star Allisha Gray is considered questionable with a hand injury, but the team overcame that in Game 2 … and no team has ever lost a five-game series after taking a 2-0 lead. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 9 Oct. 2026 But Reed will remember it for the surreal feeling that overcame him in CU’s gymnasium. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 9 Oct. 2026 The Broncos, meanwhile, overcame a Week 1 loss to remain competitive, but have fallen behind the Chiefs and Raiders in the AFC West. — Jason Cohen, PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for overcame

Verb

French defeated Republican incumbent Jim Wright in a May Republican primary runoff.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Oct. 2026
That’ll be particularly important after Paxton defeated Cornyn in a brutal primary where Senate Republicans and other Cornyn allies spent more than $90 million in his defense and attacked Paxton as unfit for office.

— Matthew Choi, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of defeated

Verb

Following Stark’s rescue, the first responders at Paradise Canyon Drive were overwhelmed, according to two civilians who were present and Hernandez’s body-camera footage.

— Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
Swain settled in this preseason, showing an improved progression in his decision making when he was not overwhelmed by on-ball duties.

— Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of overwhelmed

Verb

Complicating things is the current Administration, which has mastered the art of using those message-delivery systems to spread doubt and discontent and suspicion.

— Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
For a blueprint, Johnson points to a handful of NBA stars who have mastered the art of seeing the game unfold a step or two ahead of everyone else — Draymond Green, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and, yes, former Spurs great Tim Duncan.

— Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of mastered

Verb

Iran’s military has been devastated by American attacks, but the Iranian forces have continued to launch missiles, drones and naval operations to inflict damage in the region.

— Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
At home, the United States had defeated their armies, destroyed their infrastructure, retaken their territory, emancipated their enslaved, and devastated their economy and society into a catastrophic mess.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of devastated

Verb

From Ricky Martin’s Grammy breakthrough to the rise of música mexicana, Tommy Mottola and Alex Gallardo offered a candid look at how Latin music conquered the mainstream — and why its next evolution will depend on artists willing to break the mold.

— Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2026
The announcement comes after a summer in which AI models have repeatedly conquered many of math’s longstanding open challenges, including one of the seven Millennium Prize Problems.

— Rachel Crowell, Scientific American, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of conquered

Verb

The Brewers took a 5-4 lead on Garrett Mitchell’s solo home run in the sixth inning and added an insurance run in the ninth on Hamilton’s bomb.

— Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
Perhaps the squad took his ball-respecting mantra to its logical extreme, seemingly reluctant to sully it by smashing it into the net, with Chelsea recording the biggest xG underperformance in the Premier League during his brief tenure.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of took

Verb

For founders sitting atop a mountain of stock, that beats selling shares, paying tax, and then giving away the cash.

— Diane Brady, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
The defense has exceeded expectations and continues to cement itself as a top-20, maybe even a top-15 defense, while the offense remains a disappointment, even after beating the Bears (4-2, 2-1).

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of beat

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overburdens

overcame

overcareful

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“Overcame.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overcame. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of overcame

verb

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