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whelms

verb

present tense third-person singular of whelm
as in overwhelms
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress the news so whelmed them that they were stunned into silence

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for whelms
  1. overwhelms
  2. overcomes
  3. devastates
Verb
  • In 90 percent of instances, if a team overwhelms another in the trenches on both sides of the ball, that team wins the game handily.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Revenue that overwhelms delivery teams, adds friction for customers or depends on heroic effort is not the same as scalable growth.
    — Tim Dowd, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of overwhelms
Verb
  • This biological method overcomes high-heat processing and creates an eco-friendly system.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Maybe your favorite wrestler finally overcomes insurmountable odds to become a world champion.
    — Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 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
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Whelms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whelms. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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