{
    "term": "overwhelm",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "overwhelm",
            "heSheIt": "overwhelms"
        },
        "pastSimple": "overwhelmed",
        "pastParticiple": "overwhelmed",
        "ingForm": "overwhelming"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to have such a strong emotional effect on somebody that it is difficult for them to resist or know how to react",
            "sensetop": "overwhelm somebody",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She was overwhelmed by feelings of guilt."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The beauty of the landscape overwhelmed me."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She felt completely overwhelmed."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We were totally overwhelmed by the response to our appeal."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "overcome",
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["absolutely", "completely", "totally"],
                "verb + overwhelm": ["threaten to"],
                "preposition": ["with"],
                "phrases": [
                    "overwhelmed by something",
                    "absolutely overwhelmed",
                    "completely overwhelmed"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to defeat somebody completely",
            "sensetop": "overwhelm somebody",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The army was overwhelmed by the rebels."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He totally overwhelmed the Spaniard, 6–2, 6–3,6–2, in the final."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "overpower"
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to be so bad or so great that a person cannot deal with it; to give too much of a thing to a person",
            "sensetop": "overwhelm somebody",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "We were overwhelmed by requests for information."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The children pressed around him eagerly, overwhelming him with questions."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She thinks she knows all the answers and always overwhelms me with advice."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The office was overwhelmed by the volume of work that was required."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["absolutely", "completely", "totally"],
                "verb + overwhelm": ["threaten to"],
                "preposition": ["with"],
                "phrases": [
                    "overwhelmed by something",
                    "absolutely overwhelmed",
                    "completely overwhelmed"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "to cover somebody/something completely",
            "sensetop": "overwhelm somebody/something",
            "labels": "(literary)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The wave broke through the wall and overwhelmed the town."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "flood"
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌəʊvəˈwelm/",
                "audio": "ov/overwhelm/overwhelm__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌəʊvəˈwelmz/",
                "audio": "ov/overwhelm/overwhelms__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌəʊvəˈwelmd/",
                "audio": "ov/overwhelm/overwhelmed__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌəʊvəˈwelmɪŋ/",
                "audio": "ov/overwhelm/overwhelming__gb_3.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌəʊvərˈwelm/",
                "audio": "ov/overwhelm/overwhelm__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌəʊvərˈwelmz/",
                "audio": "ov/overwhelm/overwhelms__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌəʊvərˈwelmd/",
                "audio": "ov/overwhelm/overwhelmed__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌəʊvərˈwelmɪŋ/",
                "audio": "ov/overwhelm/overwhelming__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": null
}