1
as in overcomes
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress
just the thought of how much work there is to do overwhelms me
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in engulfs
to cover with a flood
that spring the massive runoff from melting snows overwhelmed the valley
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overwhelms
For the characters, the love itself overwhelms every other consideration of feeling.
—
New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
What overwhelms her isn’t the wedding itself, but the realization that her lifelong role as Lexi’s default person is about to shift.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
But for families with young kids, there is one cost that overwhelms almost everything else — child care.
—Liam Stanton, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
The agency projected about a 1% chance of ordering rolling blackouts in January and February as a last-resort move to keep the system from failing when demand overwhelms supply.
—Lana Ferguson, Dallas Morning News, 20 Jan. 2026
Exposure to untreated sewage, which can enter homes by backing up through plumbing or via flood when rainwater overwhelms sewer systems, can cause illness.
—Tammy Webber, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
The scent is beautifully soft—a gentle blend of leather, iris, and jasmine that never overwhelms the room.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 4 Jan. 2026
Much of the first half of the novel is given over to claustrophobic atmosphere that overwhelms the wide open country all around them.
—Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025
Demand overwhelms supply, and thousands die each year before one becomes available.
—Monika Piotrowska, The Conversation, 8 Dec. 2025
New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
What overwhelms her isn’t the wedding itself, but the realization that her lifelong role as Lexi’s default person is about to shift.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
But for families with young kids, there is one cost that overwhelms almost everything else — child care.
—Liam Stanton, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
The agency projected about a 1% chance of ordering rolling blackouts in January and February as a last-resort move to keep the system from failing when demand overwhelms supply.
—Lana Ferguson, Dallas Morning News, 20 Jan. 2026
Exposure to untreated sewage, which can enter homes by backing up through plumbing or via flood when rainwater overwhelms sewer systems, can cause illness.
—Tammy Webber, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
The scent is beautifully soft—a gentle blend of leather, iris, and jasmine that never overwhelms the room.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 4 Jan. 2026
Much of the first half of the novel is given over to claustrophobic atmosphere that overwhelms the wide open country all around them.
—Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025
Demand overwhelms supply, and thousands die each year before one becomes available.
—Monika Piotrowska, The Conversation, 8 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overwhelms
Verb
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In contrast, the ABF crystal, designed and grown by Chinese scientists over more than a decade, overcomes many of these obstacles.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Feb. 2026
-
After a sluggish start, Texas overcomes a 14-point deficit to tie the game before OU's Xzayvier Brown hits a 3-pointer to give his team the halftime lead.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Kyiv residents endure long daily blackouts as Russia devastates the power system, leaving tower block dwellers freezing in apartments with no heat or light.—
Derek Gatopoulos,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Exacerbating the problem, unpredictable rainfall cycling between drought and floods further devastates the region.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The title floods the screen, in lavishly flowing script, a whopping 49 minutes into this 108-minute neo-noir, not far off the halfway mark.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Those missions are especially timely, given Chicago's unhoused population floods the system for shelter for a place to stay warm when temperatures plummet.—
Tara Molina,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
His policies have been instrumental in dismantling the criminal enterprise that oppresses the Venezuelan people.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
First into his life comes Jessie involved in a shipwreck with her uncle, a past colleague of Mason’s, who drowns in a vicious storm and almost takes Jessie down with him before she is heroically rescued from near death by Mason, who brings her out of the drink and then back to life.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
28 Jan. 2026
-
What should be a fast minimum viable product (MVP) becomes a bloated prototype that delays launch and drowns out real user feedback.—
Renae Gregoire,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overwhelms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overwhelms. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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