Nominal Forms
Infinitive: to overwhelm
Participle: overwhelmed
Gerund: overwhelming
Cognates
-
Indicative
Present
| I | overwhelm |
| you | overwhelm |
| he;she;it | overwhelms |
| we | overwhelm |
| you | overwhelm |
| they | overwhelm |
Perfect
| I | have overwhelmed |
| you | have overwhelmed |
| he;she;it | has overwhelmed |
| we | have overwhelmed |
| you | have overwhelmed |
| they | have overwhelmed |
Past
| I | overwhelmed |
| you | overwhelmed |
| he;she;it | overwhelmed |
| we | overwhelmed |
| you | overwhelmed |
| they | overwhelmed |
Pluperfect
| I | had overwhelmed |
| you | had overwhelmed |
| he;she;it | had overwhelmed |
| we | had overwhelmed |
| you | had overwhelmed |
| they | had overwhelmed |
Future
| I | will overwhelm |
| you | will overwhelm |
| he;she;it | will overwhelm |
| we | will overwhelm |
| you | will overwhelm |
| they | will overwhelm |
Future Perfect
| I | will have overwhelmed |
| you | will have overwhelmed |
| he;she;it | will have overwhelmed |
| we | will have overwhelmed |
| you | will have overwhelmed |
| they | will have overwhelmed |
Subjunctive
Present
| I | overwhelm |
| you | overwhelm |
| he;she;it | overwhelm |
| we | overwhelm |
| you | overwhelm |
| they | overwhelm |
Perfect
| I | have overwhelmed |
| you | have overwhelmed |
| he;she;it | have overwhelmed |
| we | have overwhelmed |
| you | have overwhelmed |
| they | have overwhelmed |
Imperfect
| I | overwhelmed |
| you | overwhelmed |
| he;she;it | overwhelmed |
| we | overwhelmed |
| you | overwhelmed |
| they | overwhelmed |
Pluperfect
| I | had overwhelmed |
| you | had overwhelmed |
| he;she;it | had overwhelmed |
| we | had overwhelmed |
| you | had overwhelmed |
| they | had overwhelmed |
Conditional
Present
| I | would overwhelm |
| you | would overwhelm |
| he;she;it | would overwhelm |
| we | would overwhelm |
| you | would overwhelm |
| they | would overwhelm |
Perfect
| I | would have overwhelmed |
| you | would have overwhelmed |
| he;she;it | would have overwhelmed |
| we | would have overwhelmed |
| you | would have overwhelmed |
| they | would have overwhelmed |
Imperative
| you | overwhelm |
| we | Let's overwhelm |
| you | overwhelm |
Verbs conjugated like 'overwhelm'
abandon,
abduct,
abear,
aberr,
abject,
abord,
abort,
abound,
abraid,
abray,
abrook,
abscind,
abscond,
absist,
absorb,
abstain,
abstract,
accend,
accent,
accept, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)
Verbs similar to 'overwhelm'
overhele,
overhelp,
overwell,
overwield,
overchew,
overchill,
overdream,
overfeel,
overhale,
overhall,
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
- inspire reverence
- awe
- defeat
- rout, crush, overthrow, prostrate, overcome, whelm, overpower
- drown
- overflow, bury, submerge, deluge, cover, waste, inundate, overburden
- puzzle
- bewilder, confound, confuse, surprise
Antonyms
- defeat
- conquest, success, mastery, advantage
- puzzle
- enlighten, inform, instruct, clarify
Additional Information
Phrasal Verbs
Etymology
1. c.1330, "to turn upside down, to overthrow," from over + M.E. whelmen "to turn upside down" (see whelm). Meaning "to submerge completely" is c.1450. Perhaps the connecting notion is a boat, etc., washed over, and overset, by a big wave. Fig. sense of "to bring to ruin" is attested from 1529.
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *úp
4. Proto-Indo-European *-er
5. Proto-Indo-European *upér
6. Proto-Germanic *uber
7. Old English ofer-
8. Middle English over-
9. Proto-Indo-European *kʷelp-der.
10. Proto-Germanic *kʷolpós
11. Proto-Germanic *hwalbazder.?
12. Proto-Indo-European *kʷelp-der.
13. Proto-Germanic *kʷólpo-
14. Proto-Germanic *hwalbąder.?
15. Old English hwealf
16. Old English *hwealfnian
17. Old English *hwealmnian?
18. Middle English whelmen
19. Middle English overwhelmen
20. English overwhelm
21. Inherited from Middle English overwhelmen, equivalent to over- + whelm.
Sample Sentences
-
[...] the more endurable because some hearts are to be found which can partially resist its hardening influences; nor can the indignant tide of honest wrath stand still, because in its onward course it overwhelms a few who are comparatively innocent, among a host of guilty.
(American Notes for General Circulation)
-
The poor mulatto woman, whose simple faith had been well-nigh crushed and overwhelmed, by the avalanche of cruelty and wrong which had fallen upon her, felt her soul raised up by the hymns and passages of Holy Writ, which this lowly missionary breathed into her ear in intervals, as [...]
(Uncle Tom’s Cabin)