| ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷|(h)welm, -eu̇m transitive verb
Etymology: Middle English overwhelmen, from over (I) + whelmen to turn over — more at whelm
1. : overthrow , overturn , upset
2.
a. : to cover over completely (as by a great wave) : overflow and bury beneath : engulf , submerge
all the rest has been overwhelmed by the desert — Alan Moorehead
b. : to overcome by great superiority of force or numbers : bring to ruin : destroy , overpower
overwhelmed by the air attack — Sir Winston Churchill
c. : to overpower in thought or feeling : subject to the grip of an overpowering emotion
overwhelmed by the death of his loving mother — John McCarten
unbearable melancholy … threatened to overwhelm him — Christine Weston
3. : to project over threateningly or dominatingly
his … face, overwhelmed by a monstrous hooked blade of a nose — E.L.Wallant
Synonyms: see overpower