verb

• 1Defeat or overcome with superior strength.

  ‘he overpowered the two men and frogmarched them to the police station’

  More example sentences

  • ‘He is hated for being a rich bully who uses his strength and wealth to overpower those who are weaker and poorer than he is.’
  • ‘They would overpower you with their strength and their will and the sheer pace of their play.’
  • ‘I struggled against this restriction, but his strength far overpowered mine.’
  • ‘He didn't even fight back and he easily overpowered her in the strength department.’
  • ‘Brown has the strength and toughness to overpower defenders.’
  • ‘He threatened you and used his physical strength and size to overpower you.’
  • ‘You must earn the horse's respect, not overpower him with strength.’
  • ‘No matter how much weight training you put the ant through, its strength will still be overpowered by the sheer weight of the sack of rice.’
  • ‘The strength of a single human will had been overpowered and broken by a far larger, inhuman force.’
  • ‘And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.’
  • ‘He had said that just before she had managed to overpower him and break his leg.’
  • ‘He overpowers tackles at the point of attack with his strength and leverage.’
  • ‘Both like to overpower cornerbacks with their size and strength and use their speed to get downfield.’
  • ‘I will overpower them with a combination of superior size, balance and condition.’
  • ‘The only reason that we were being beaten so badly was the drow were overpowering us with their teamwork.’
  • ‘In the end, our forces overpowered the mother ship and seized the controls.’
  • ‘It is primarily a defensive position, but allows you to control a suspect that has overpowered you.’
  • ‘After fruitless attempts by police to lure the man out of his house, they broke the door down and overpowered him.’
  • ‘His control also is very good, though he won't overpower many hitters.’
  • ‘If the opponent cannot control you through a grip, he cannot overpower you or apply his technique.’

  Synonyms

  gain control over, overwhelm, prevail over, get the better of, get the upper hand over, gain mastery over, master, control, overthrow, overturn, upset, subdue, suppress, subjugate, hegemonize, repress, quell, quash, crush, finish, bring someone to their knees, break, conquer, defeat, vanquish, beat, be victorious over, gain a victory over, triumph over, best, worst, trounce, rout

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1Be too intense for; overwhelm.
     ‘they were overpowered by the fumes’
     More example sentences

     • ‘I sat there gazing at Robert and the more I did, the more an intense feeling overpowered me.’
     • ‘His overwhelming need for sleep overpowered any attempt to think at all.’
     • ‘As he came toward the reactor, his sadness and confusion was overpowered by his fighter pilot instincts.’
     • ‘The more you chew, the more the taste intensifies, eventually overpowering the other ingredients.’
     • ‘The broth was a little too buttery, with some slightly overpowering raw garlic dominating the flavour.’
     • ‘Unfortunately, the more intense citrus and grainy mustard dressing overpowered the delicate ginger it was prepared with.’
     • ‘The intense flavors of the cheese and veg overpower the delicate meat.’
     • ‘The sadness is overpowering, like all-day darkness of a winter polar station.’
     • ‘The sauce was sensational; rich and intensely flavoured, it enhanced but didn't overpower the meat.’
     • ‘But sadness for his friend's unchanged fate was soon overpowered by an urgent awareness of his own.’
     • ‘The atmosphere is laid on thick, but it never overpowers the story, instead giving it weight and breadth.’
     • ‘The fumes were overpowering and the engines made a terrible racket.’
     • ‘The latter feeling quickly overpowered the former as the intimidating thought of starting her life over filled her mind.’
     • ‘The domination of media and advertising can overpower our personal lives with a bigger, more fearful world.’
     • ‘Heavily perfumed nose, almost overpowering, with a dominance of apricot and peach blossom.’
     • ‘The intense scent is almost overpowering in a small room on a warm day.’
     • ‘Such occasions were dominated by the overpowering splendour of the Aksumite rulers.’
     • ‘The need to paint, for me, is to try to control overpowering emotional forces.’
     • ‘In hotter years the wine can show a piercing fragrance of blackcurrants and raspberries that easily overpower the earthy finish.’
     • ‘As much as I love it, its strong taste overpowers the avocado - not bad guacamole, but I like a subtler variety.’
     Synonyms

     overwhelming, burdensome, oppressive, weighty, unbearable, unendurable, intolerable, shattering, intimidating, overbearing, dominating

     stifling, suffocating, pervasive, penetrating, strong, pungent, powerful

     overcome, overwhelm, sweep over, move, stir, affect, touch, impress, sweep someone off their feet, strike, stun, shake, disturb, devastate, take aback, daze, leave speechless, spellbind, dazzle, floor

     View synonyms