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Overcame

 - 5 dictionary results

o⋅ver⋅came

  [oh-ver-keym]
Use Overcame in a Sentence
–verb
pt. of overcome.

o⋅ver⋅come

  [oh-ver-kuhm] verb, -came, -come, -com⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to get the better of in a struggle or conflict; conquer; defeat: to overcome the enemy.
2. to prevail over (opposition, a debility, temptations, etc.); surmount: to overcome one's weaknesses.
3. to overpower or overwhelm in body or mind, as does liquor, a drug, exertion, or emotion: I was overcome with grief.
4. Archaic. to overspread or overrun.
–verb (used without object)
5. to gain the victory; win; conquer: a plan to overcome by any means possible.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE ofercuman. See over-, come

Related forms:
o⋅ver⋅com⋅er, noun

Synonyms:
1. vanquish. See defeat.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Overcame
o·ver·came   (ō'vər-kām')   
v.  Past tense of overcome.
o·ver·come   (ō'vər-kŭm')   
v.   o·ver·came (-kām'), o·ver·come, o·ver·com·ing, o·ver·comes

v.   tr.

  1. To defeat (another) in competition or conflict; conquer. See Synonyms at defeat.

  2. To prevail over; surmount: tried to overcome the obstacles of poverty.

  3. To overpower, as with emotion; affect deeply.

v.   intr.
To surmount opposition; be victorious.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

overcome 
O.E. ofer-cuman "to reach, overtake," also "to conquer, prevail over," from ofer "over" + cuman "to come" (see come). A common Gmc. compound (cf. M.Du. overkomen, O.H.G. ubarqueman, Ger. überkommen). In ref. to mental or chemical force, "to overwhelm, render helpless," it is in late O.E. Meaning "to surmount" (a difficulty or obstacle) is from c.1205. The Civil Rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" was put together c.1950s from lyrics from Charles Tindley's spiritual "I'll Overcome Some Day" (1901), and melody from pre-Civil War spiritual "No More Auction Block for Me."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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