overcome

American

[oh-ver-kuhm] / ˌoʊ vərˈkʌm /

verb (used with object)

overcame, overcome, overcoming

to get the better of in a struggle or conflict; conquer; defeat.

to overcome the enemy.

Synonyms:

vanquish
to prevail over (opposition, a debility, temptations, etc.); surmount.

to overcome one's weaknesses.
to overpower or overwhelm in body or mind, as does liquor, a drug, exertion, or emotion.

I was overcome with grief.
Archaic. to overspread or overrun.

verb (used without object)

overcame, overcome, overcoming

to gain the victory; win; conquer.

a plan to overcome by any means possible.

overcome British

/ ˌəʊvəˈkʌm /

verb

(tr) to get the better of in a conflict
(tr; often passive) to render incapable or powerless by laughter, sorrow, exhaustion, etc

he was overcome by fumes
(tr) to surmount (obstacles, objections, etc)
(intr) to be victorious

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See defeat.

Other Word Forms

overcomer noun
unovercome adjective

Etymology

Origin of overcome

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English ofercuman; over-, come

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023