overwhelm
verb
Did you know?
Let’s face it: life can get overwhelming. A person might be overwhelmed by a sensory experience or emotion; a city might be overwhelmed by an influx of tourists. Things can underwhelm, too: a bland meal, a bare wall, a lackluster playlist. But how often does an experience just, well, whelm you? The answer, unassumingly, is just as often as one overwhelms you—the two verbs are in fact largely synonymous. Both come from Middle English whelmen, meaning "to overturn," and overwhelm has always been more popular, perhaps because the emphatic redundancy of overwhelm makes it seem more apt for describing reactions to powerful forces or feelings.
Examples of overwhelm in a Sentence
Kristina McGuirk, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2025
Almost immediately, the new facility was overwhelmed: Between the year of its founding and 1887, 44 percent of the women admitted into San Clemente were pellagrous.
—Asia London Palomba, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2025
Arvidson overwhelmed the Wolverines’ Payton Marks 6-0, 6-0 in just 40 minutes in the final.
—Dave Wright, Twin Cities, 5 June 2025
People in the comment section were overwhelmed by the mother’s selflessness and bravery along with the shelter’s team handling the rescue so delicately.
—Tj MacIas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for overwhelm
Cite this Entry
“Overwhelm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overwhelm. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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overwhelm
verb
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