overwhelm
/ˌoʊ.vɚˈ(h)wɛlm/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.15 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To overpower emotionally.
Example Sentences
- "The dinghy was overwhelmed by the great wave."
- "In December 1939 the Soviet Union attacked Finland with overwhelming force."
- "The sea overwhelmed their enemies."
- "He was overwhelmed with guilt."
- "Joy overwhelmed her when she realized that she had won a million dollars."
- "Theon Greyjoy is the most well developed character on that stage, and the action comes down to him. Euron, with Yara underneath his ax, goads Theon into attack. But Theon is overwhelmed by the violence all around him, and instead he jumps overboard."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Germanic *uber Old English ofer- Middle English over- Proto-Indo-European *kʷelp-der. Proto-Germanic *kʷolpós Proto-Germanic *hwalbazder.? Proto-Indo-European *kʷelp-der. Proto-Germanic *kʷólpo- Proto-Germanic *hwalbąder.? Old English hwealf Old English *hwealfnian Old English *hwealmnian? Middle English whelmen Middle English overwhelmen English overwhelm Inherited from Middle English overwhelmen, equivalent to over- + whelm.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌoʊ.vɚˈ(h)wɛlm/
- British English: /ˌəʊ.vəˈ(h)wɛlm/
Usage
Inflected Forms
overwhelms (present, singular)
overwhelming (participle, present)
overwhelmed (participle, past)
overwhelmed (past)
o'erwhelm (alternative, poetic)
overwhelms (plural)