to overpower

Examples

• All

• A ventilation fan came on, its hum overpowering the steady drone of the airport.

  Fiction book (1998)

• For a moment, his strong feelings of love for her overpowered him, seeming to catch in his throat.

  Fiction book (1990)

• I think if you have too much hair, it's going to overpower what's going on.

  Sarah Rae Vargas

• And so the desire to belong will often overpower the desire to improve.

• The real man never lets his fear of death overpower his sense of honor and duty to his teammates.

  Paintball Massacre (2020)

• The memory of her father was so strong that it overpowered everything.

  Fiction book (1996)

• The incentives for mutual gain exist, but the political obstacles are overpowering in most cases.

  Academic text (1990)

• The rich, meaty smell filled the air, overpowering the creatures' sickly odor.

  Fiction book (1997)

• Its bitter smell diffused throughout the kitchen, overpowering the chicken broth that she so patiently stirred.

  Fiction book (2000)

• Her feelings of sadness began to overpower her ability to think clearly.

Synonyms

D

to dominate

vsto overpower

275 3.7

To have strong control over people or things

is usually sudden strong effect that prevents normal thinking or reaction

O

to overwhelm

vsto overpower

164 4.4

Make someone feel very strong emotions so they cannot think clearly

also covers strong physical or sensory effects not just mental collapse

O

to overcome

vsto overpower

86 4.1

Be so affected by a strong feeling that you cannot control yourself

is the act of causing that state rather than the state itself

O

to overtake

vsto overpower

29 5.1

To suddenly have a strong feeling that you cannot control

is not only sudden but can be gradual, causing prolonged inability to react

S

to sweep over

vsto overpower

8 4.6

A strong feeling that affects someone suddenly

is broader, also including non-sudden strong effects that overwhelm senses

O

to overawe

vsto overpower

• Formal

1 8.2

To make someone feel small or afraid by showing great power

is about overwhelming feelings or senses rather than causing respect or fear

O

to overmaster

vsto overpower

• Literature

1 9.1

To defeat and control someone or something completely

is more about strongly affecting feelings and senses than total subjugation

W

to whelm

vsto overpower

9.9

To feel a very strong emotion that takes control of you

is about causing sudden strong effects that stop normal thought and reaction

Antonyms

S

to soothe

63 3.4

To make someone feel calmer or reduce their pain

How Strong

to overpower

18 5.7

to stir

131 3.7

to move

668 3.4

to touch

680 2.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology