1
as in to subdue
to bring under one's control by force of arms
the invading army overpowered the countryside with lightning speed
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to overwhelm
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress
overpowered by fear of the unknown
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overpower
Most critics appreciated the performances, panning the way tropes overpowered the story.
—
Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Taking care of her niece endows the narrator with purpose; love overpowers her.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
The frosting has an artificial-sweetener flavor that overpowers everything.
—Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 22 Aug. 2025
On many occasions, City players were physically overpowered or suffered lapses in concentration, resulting in shots on their goal.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overpower
Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Taking care of her niece endows the narrator with purpose; love overpowers her.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
The frosting has an artificial-sweetener flavor that overpowers everything.
—Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 22 Aug. 2025
On many occasions, City players were physically overpowered or suffered lapses in concentration, resulting in shots on their goal.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overpower
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overpower
Verb
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Critics panned Lyles’ subdued initial response and blamed the policies of Charlotte officials for failing to prevent the murder.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
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Critically, American surveillance technologies allowed a brutal mass detention campaign in the far west region of Xinjiang — targeting, tracking and grading virtually the entire native Uyghur population to forcibly assimilate and subdue them.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As the infection overwhelms the body, severe drops in blood pressure further starve vital organs of oxygen.—
Michal Ruprecht,
NPR,
8 Sep. 2025
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That’s a fast track to overwhelm, a broken budget, and frustration.—
Rodger Dean Duncan,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The division’s ‘Big Six’ dominated spending again, though that was hardly new.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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In the Chinese foldable phone category, Huawei dominates with a 75% share of the market, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Outperforming some of them on the pitch is one thing, but Newcastle cannot yet overcome the off-field strength of the ‘Big Six’.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
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Part of the presentation focused on helping people overcome their fear of being ostracized for having plants seen as too wild.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Deftones’ History on the Streaming Ranking Deftones first conquered the Hard Rock Streaming Songs list just last month.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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Netanyahu initially said Israel would conquer all of Gaza after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down in July.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The disaster is remembered not just for its winds, but for the crushing surge of water that devastated rural Louisiana parishes and tore through the heart of New Orleans.—
Sarah Alegre,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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The children were among the 27 campers and counselors who died at the Christian all-girls’ camp during the flooding that caused the Guadalupe River to rise to historic levels, devastating the Texas Hill Country.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Richmond served as the functional center for the chattel slavery system in the United States, the capitol city of the Confederacy during the Civil War and was one of the many cities that subjected residents to redlining lending practices.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
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Today, the Court needlessly subjects countless more to these exact same indignities.—
Dan Gooding
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Colleyville Heritage defeated Richland 30-21 in a game halted early in the third quarter after a second lightning delay Friday at Mustang-Panther Stadium.—
Jordan Neal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Sep. 2025
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Dryden also represented his country several times, most notably helping Team Canada defeat the Soviet Union in the 1972 Summit Series.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overpower.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overpower. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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