OVERPOWERS Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

overpowers

verb

present tense third-person singular of overpower

as in dominates

to bring under one's control by force of arms the invading army overpowered the countryside with lightning speed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in overwhelms

to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress overpowered by fear of the unknown

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 overpowers Jean overpowers their restraints and creates a gigantic psychic bubble that freezes in place nearly everyone in New York City. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 31 July 2026 Natalie reaches for a knife in the kitchen before Max overpowers her. — Jp Mangalindan, Time, 31 July 2026 Kara ultimately overpowers Krem and secures the antidote in time to save Krypto, but the emotional climax belongs to Ruthye. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026 Go for a subtle scent that catches in the breeze rather than overpowers the senses. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 9 May 2026 However, the unique culture of our city often overpowers these inhibitions, and the sight of NYPD officers patrolling as modern-day knights on horseback is a reassuring testament to that strength. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026 That’s because the Athletics are scheduled to start Luis Severino, who overpowers righties. — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026 At 6-4, Kone is a bouncy wing who overpowers defenders with brute strength and agile footwork. — Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026 But a dollop of ’95 alt-rock sweetness almost overpowers it. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for overpowers

Verb

OpenRouter's fivefold volume jump suggests deflation and platform revenue are not mechanically opposed, and nobody outside Stripe has the data to say which effect dominates.

— Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
China currently dominates much of the global rare earth processing and magnet supply chain.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of dominates

Verb

And yet, in Yoon’s hands, a character’s suffering never overwhelms their capacity for tenderness.

— Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
One person has died and rescues are underway as catastrophic flooding overwhelms the Hill Country, a little more than a year after the July 4 floods killed more than 130 people in Central Texas.

— Mary Ella Hastings July 16, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026

Definition of overwhelms

Verb

In person, Huang subdues his ironic braggadocio with polite eye contact and rolling belly laughs at his own jokes.

— Mariella Rudi, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
El Nino also subdues the hurricane season in the Atlantic because there is so much heat in the Pacific that outcompetes the Atlantic, Berardelli added.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 May 2026

Definition of subdues

Verb

Somaliland is proximate and overcomes some of the limitations imposed by other regional hosts like Djibouti and Middle East partners.

— Paul Tilsley, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026
This technique overcomes limitations of older methods like genotyping arrays, which were often biased towards European ancestries and less accurate.

— William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of overcomes

Verb

As climate chaos causes oceans to swallow coastlands, and as surging water displaces and devastates communities, social survival will demand that people find ways to live and work with – and on – the water.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2026
The urban planner and former professor also knows what happens next after a powerful earthquake devastates whole communities.

— Luis Giraldo, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of devastates

Verb

Then founder and master distiller Joe McGirr subjects his spirit to a vapor chamber chockablock with even more juniper.

— Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
This allows cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs and no longer arbitrarily subjects them to traffic control measures designed for other types of vehicles.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2026

Definition of subjects

Verb

If the opposition defeats the ballot measure in November, billionaires will avoid that liability.

— Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026
Seven Democratic incumbents have lost their primaries so far, already tying with 2012 for the most Democratic House incumbent defeats this century.

— Chad de Guzman, Time, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of defeats

Browse Nearby Words

overpowering

overpowers

overpraise

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Overpowers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overpowers. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of overpowers

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on overpowers

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

expeditious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes