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overcome - 5 dictionary results

o⋅ver⋅come

  [oh-ver-kuhm] verb, -came, -come, -com⋅ing.
Use overcome in a Sentence
–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 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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Overcome

O`ver*come"\, v. t. [imp. Overcame; p. p. Overcome; p. pr & vb. n. Overcoming.] [AS. ofercuman. See Over, Come, and cf. Supervene.]

1. To get the better of; to surmount; to conquer; to subdue; as, to overcome enemies in battle.

This wretched woman overcome Of anguish, rather than of crime, hath been. --Spenser.

2. To overflow; to surcharge. [Obs.] --J. Philips.

3. To come or pass over; to spreads over. [Obs.]

And overcome us like a summer's cloud. --Shak.

Syn: To conquer; subdue; vanquish; overpower; overthrow; overturn; defeat; crush; overbear; overwhelm; prostrate; beat; surmount. See Conquer.

Overcome

O`ver*come"\, v. i. To gain the superiority; to be victorious. --Rev. iii. 21.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : overcome
Spanish: afectado (por), dominado (por),
German: überwältigt,
Japanese: うちのめされた
More Translations »

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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