1
as in defeating
to achieve a victory over
the baseball team finally overcame their opponents in the 13th inning
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in overwhelming
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress
already under stress, she was overcome by news of a death in the family
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overcoming
The author is an entrepreneur and working on a book about overcoming betrayal.
—
Emily Bryn Williams, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
Two years ago, Romeo and her family celebrated her evolution as a performer after overcoming previous struggles.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026
Republicans now look likely to gain at least five and up to 10 seats in the map-drawing race, overcoming Democratic pushback in deep-blue California.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 8 May 2026
The girls successfully defended their state title, overcoming a disqualification in their 4×100 relay.
—Gary Curreri, Sun Sentinel, 7 May 2026
The awards luncheon was sponsored by Wellstar and featured Jenna Banks, a best-selling author with an inspiring personal story of overcoming adversity in childhood.
—Nancy Badertscher, AJC.com, 7 May 2026
Their upper-tier finishes have something to do with the Celtics overcoming Jayson Tatum’s absence for most of the season to defy expectations and finish with a 56-26 regular-season record.
—Josh Robbins, New York Times, 6 May 2026
On a night where seemingly every shift produced a scoring chance, the Colorado Avalanche had the late-game offense necessary to claim Game 1 of their best-of-seven playoff series, overcoming a brief second period deficit to beat the Minnesota Wild 9-6.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 4 May 2026
More Than One Way to Survive in Business Entrepreneurs have been positioned to accept that overcoming the competition is the only way to succeed in business, but there may be other paths forward.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Emily Bryn Williams, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
Two years ago, Romeo and her family celebrated her evolution as a performer after overcoming previous struggles.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026
Republicans now look likely to gain at least five and up to 10 seats in the map-drawing race, overcoming Democratic pushback in deep-blue California.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 8 May 2026
The girls successfully defended their state title, overcoming a disqualification in their 4×100 relay.
—Gary Curreri, Sun Sentinel, 7 May 2026
The awards luncheon was sponsored by Wellstar and featured Jenna Banks, a best-selling author with an inspiring personal story of overcoming adversity in childhood.
—Nancy Badertscher, AJC.com, 7 May 2026
Their upper-tier finishes have something to do with the Celtics overcoming Jayson Tatum’s absence for most of the season to defy expectations and finish with a 56-26 regular-season record.
—Josh Robbins, New York Times, 6 May 2026
On a night where seemingly every shift produced a scoring chance, the Colorado Avalanche had the late-game offense necessary to claim Game 1 of their best-of-seven playoff series, overcoming a brief second period deficit to beat the Minnesota Wild 9-6.
—Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 4 May 2026
More Than One Way to Survive in Business Entrepreneurs have been positioned to accept that overcoming the competition is the only way to succeed in business, but there may be other paths forward.
—Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overcoming
Verb
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Swalwell won his congressional race, defeating a 40-year incumbent more than double his age, and grew his national profile by connecting with young voters on social media.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
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In all, according to a tally from AdImpact, nearly $7 million has been spent on TV ads this year in Indiana state senate races, the bulk of it aimed at defeating the Republicans who voted against the redrawn congressional maps.—
Tamara Keith,
NPR,
4 May 2026
Verb
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The problem is magnified when Hezbollah launches multiple drones at once, potentially overwhelming a system that’s not fully up to the task of identifying the incoming drones.—
Charbel Mallo,
CNN Money,
3 May 2026
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The Parmesan ranch of it all also didn't disappoint; the flavor mix was expectedly savory and crowd-pleasing, but balanced and never overwhelming the true star of it all—the potato.—
Alaina Chou,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Pig organs are similar enough in size and function to humans', but transplanting entire organs was completely out of reach until about a decade ago when scientists began mastering gene editing well enough to breed pigs whose organs are less likely to be rejected by the human immune system.—
Karen Weintraub,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
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But there’s a real satisfaction in watching Ohm figure out the suite’s unique conveniences, run by analog systems of pulleys and levers, confronting the terrors within and mastering them for his survival.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
2 May 2026
Verb
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House Republicans approved the resolution last month despite conservationists’ warnings that the move would lead to devastating pollution in one of the country’s last remaining wild areas.—
Todd Richmond,
Twin Cities,
16 Apr. 2026
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Two tornadoes ripped through west Michigan on April 14, devastating a family dairy farm in Fenick, releasing hundreds of cows and leaving thousands without power.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Built by Blueprint Construction with structural engineering by Design Point, the East River Residence demonstrates that conquering challenging terrain sometimes means floating above it.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
23 Apr. 2026
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One after another, the avatars of Democratic success in Georgia took the stage Saturday and were greeted like conquering heroes by hundreds of party faithful at the annual Carter-Lewis gala.—
Greg Bluestein,
AJC.com,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Akiira’Ley Vazquez went the distance while striking out 11 as well as crushing two home runs and driving in four as Greater New Bedford topped Old Rochester 10-2 in South Coast Conference action.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
8 May 2026
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When Rushing was dominating his final season at Louisville, crushing 23 home runs in just 64 games, the Dodgers coveted him ahead of the 2022 MLB Draft.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
Verb
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The sun was beating down on me.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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The Wild’s penalty-killers pounced, starting a rush the other way that ended with Marcus Foligno beating Scott Wedgewood for a 5-4 Wild lead — Minnesota’s third straight goal and its third of the period.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Harry and Meghan stepped back from their senior royal roles in 2020 due to media intrusion and racist coverage, eventually taking residence in Canada and, later, California, with their two children – Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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Brown said Atlanta was taking away the Knicks’ spray game, which made the answer simpler.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overcoming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overcoming. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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