overmaster

American

[oh-ver-mas-ter, -mah-ster] / ˌoʊ vərˈmæs tər, -ˈmɑ stər /

verb (used with object)

to gain mastery over; conquer; overpower.

The sudden impulse had quite overmastered me.

overmaster British

/ ˌəʊvəˈmɑːstə /

verb

(tr) to overpower

"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

Other Word Forms

overmasteringly adverb

Etymology

Origin of overmaster

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; over-, master

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It was a welcome reminder that even in the rankly toxic House of Representatives, sometimes the personal transcends the ideological and that civility and empathy can overmaster appearances.

From Slate • Jan. 25, 2012

So much the preference of contrivance to labor overmaster the mastering desire to become rich.

From The Growth of Thought As Affecting the Progress of Society by Withington, William

Well," she said, "yet this is best; and of this I am sure, that, however they wrong me, they cannot overmaster God.

From Penshurst Castle In the Days of Sir Philip Sidney by Marshall, Emma

And there was another thing: however much he might overmaster Nature sufficiently to be able to proceed without rest, the horse could not do so.

From In the Day of Adversity by Bloundelle-Burton, John

It had begun so delicately; it became in a little while so determined, it threatened to overmaster him.

From The Wave An Egyptian Aftermath by Blackwood, Algernon

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