OVERWHELM: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for OVERWHELM?

Need another word that means the same as “overwhelm”? Find 54 synonyms and 30 related words for “overwhelm” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Overwhelm” are: deluge, flood out, drown, submerge, overcome, overpower, overtake, sweep over, whelm, overmaster, swamp, engulf, bury, flood, inundate, overload, overrun, snow under, move, stir, affect, touch, impress, sweep someone off their feet, strike, stun, make emotional, dumbfound, shake, disturb, devastate, take aback, daze, spellbind, dazzle, floor, leave speechless, take someone's breath away, stagger, defeat, defeat easily, defeat heavily, defeat utterly, trounce, rout, beat, beat hollow, conquer, vanquish, be victorious over, gain a victory over, prevail over, get the better of, triumph over

Overwhelm as a Verb

Definitions of "Overwhelm" as a verb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “overwhelm” as a verb can have the following definitions:

• Overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli.
• Give too much of something to; inundate.
• Charge someone with too many tasks.
• Have a strong emotional effect on.
• Bury or drown beneath a huge mass of something, especially water.
• Cover completely or make imperceptible.
• Be too strong for; overpower.
• Overcome by superior force.
• Defeat completely.

Synonyms of "Overwhelm" as a verb (54 Words)

affect	Have an effect upon. Will the new rules affect me.
be victorious over	Be identical to; be someone or something.
beat	Shape by beating. Her heart beat faster with panic.
beat hollow	Be a mystery or bewildering to.
bury	Place in the earth and cover with soil. I tried to bury these unpleasant memories.
conquer	To put down by force or authority. The Beatles were to leave Liverpool and conquer the world.
daze	Overcome as with astonishment or disbelief. She was dazed by his revelations.
dazzle	Amaze or bewilder, as with brilliant wit or intellect or skill. I was dazzled by the beauty and breadth of the exhibition.
defeat	Render null and void; annul. She was defeated by the last steep hill.
defeat easily	Win a victory over.
defeat heavily	Win a victory over.
defeat utterly	Thwart the passage of.
deluge	Fill quickly beyond capacity; as with a liquid. He has been deluged with offers of work.
devastate	Destroy or ruin. He was devastated by his grief when his son died.
disturb	Change the arrangement or position of. Take the rollers out carefully so as not to disturb the curls too much.
drown	Deliberately kill a person or animal by drowning. She drowned her trouble in alcohol.
dumbfound	Greatly astonish or amaze. I was dumbfounded by the low prices there.
engulf	Flow over or cover completely. Europe might be engulfed by war.
flood	Cover or submerge an area with water in a flood. She flooded the room with light.
flood out	Supply with an excess of.
floor	Provide a room or area with a floor. I was floored when I heard that I was promoted.
gain a victory over	Increase (one’s body weight.
get the better of	Move into a desired direction of discourse.
impress	Impress positively. They immediately impressed the judges.
inundate	Fill or cover completely, usually with water. We ve been inundated with complaints from listeners.
leave speechless	Go away from a place.
make emotional	Carry out or commit.
move	Move so as to change position perform a nontranslational motion. The school moved over to the new course in 1987.
overcome	Overcome as with emotions or perceptual stimuli. You must overcome all difficulties.
overload	Become overloaded. The wiring had been overloaded.
overmaster	Overcome; conquer. He was overmastered by events.
overpower	Defeat or overcome with superior strength. They were overpowered by the fumes.
overrun	Seize the position of and defeat. The Mediterranean has been overrun by tourists.
overtake	Catch up with and possibly overtake. Germany rapidly overtook Britain in industrial output.
prevail over	Continue to exist.
rout	Defeat and cause to retreat in disorder. In a matter of minutes the attackers were routed.
shake	Shake or vibrate rapidly and intensively. My faith has been shaken.
snow under	Conceal one’s true motives from especially by elaborately feigning good intentions so as to gain an end.
spellbind	Put into a trance. The singer held the audience spellbound.
stagger	Arrange (events, payments, hours, etc.) so that they do not occur at the same time. The treasury staggered from one crisis to the next.
stir	Stir feelings in. As the thunder started the sleeping children began to stir.
strike	Undertake strike action against an employer. There is no better surface for the spat to strike on than another oyster.
stun	Knock unconscious or into a dazed or semi-conscious state. The news stunned her.
submerge	Sink below the surface; go under or as if under water. Houses had been flooded and cars submerged.
swamp	Drench or submerge or be drenched or submerged. A huge wave swamped the canoes.
sweep over	To cover or extend over an area or time period.
sweep someone off their feet	Win an overwhelming victory in or on.
take aback	Travel or go by means of a certain kind of transportation, or a certain route.
take someone's breath away	Lay claim to; as of an idea.
touch	Tamper with. There s no one who can touch him at lightweight judo.
triumph over	Be ecstatic with joy.
trounce	Beat severely with a whip or rod. Insider dealing has been roundly trounced.
vanquish	Defeat thoroughly. He successfully vanquished his rival.
whelm	Well up or flow. A swimmer whelmed in a raging storm.

Usage Examples of "Overwhelm" as a verb

• Floodwaters overwhelmed hundreds of houses.
• The Stilton doesn't overwhelm the flavour of the trout.
• They were overwhelmed by farewell messages.
• The Irish side was overwhelmed 15–3 by Scotland.
• I was overwhelmed with guilt.

Associations of "Overwhelm" (30 Words)

absorb	Take in or soak up (energy or a liquid or other substance) by chemical or physical action. He absorbed the knowledge or beliefs of his tribe.
awash	Level with the surface of water so that it just washes over. The city was awash with journalists.
cloudburst	A heavy rain.
crush	The act of crushing. You can crush a pill between two spoons.
curb	An edge between a sidewalk and a roadway consisting of a line of curbstones usually forming part of a gutter. Plans to introduce tougher curbs on insider dealing.
deluge	Overwhelm with a flood. A deluge of complaints.
destruction	A cause of someone’s ruin. The destruction of the rainforest.
dive	A sudden movement in a specified direction. She made a dive for the fridge to quench her thirst.
downpour	A heavy rain. A sudden downpour had filled the gutters and drains.
drop	An instance of falling or dropping. They only just avoided the drop last season.
drown	Deliberately kill a person or animal by drowning. Good pizza is not eight inches thick and drowned in tomato sauce.
flood	The biblical flood brought by God upon the earth because of the wickedness of the human race Gen 6 ff. Congratulatory messages flooded in.
flowage	The act of flooding; filling to overflowing. Rock fracture and rock flowage are different types of geological deformation.
freshet	A rush of fresh water flowing into the sea.
immerse	Cause to be immersed. She was still immersed in her thoughts.
inundate	Fill or cover completely, usually with water. We ve been inundated with complaints from listeners.
inundation	Flooding. Areas were at risk of inundation.
oppress	Cause distress or anxiety to. A system which oppressed working people.
overawe	Subdue, restrain, or overcome by affecting with a feeling of awe; frighten (as with threats. The eleven year old was overawed by the atmosphere.
overflow	Overflow with a certain feeling. Her hair overflowed her shoulders.
overpower	Be too intense for; overwhelm. They were overpowered by the fumes.
plunge	Immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate. He plunged his hands into his pockets.
rainstorm	A storm with heavy rain.
sink	Fall or sink heavily. This pledge could sink the government.
submerge	Fill or cover completely, usually with water. The U boat had had time to submerge.
sunken	Having a sunken area. Her face was white with sunken cheeks.
surround	Surround with a wall in order to fortify. The country the flat agricultural surround.
swimmer	A trained athlete who participates in swimming meets. Red flags to warn swimmers of dangerous currents.
torrent	A strong and fast-moving stream of water or other liquid. Rain poured down in torrents.
underwater	Beneath the surface of water. Underwater photography.