overcome
Part of speech: verb
noun
adj
Morphological type: derivation
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English overcomen, inherited from Old English ofercuman (“to overcome, subdue, compel, conquer, obtain, attain, reach, overtake”). By surface analysis, over- + come. Cognate with Dutch overkomen, German überkommen, Danish overkomme, Swedish överkomma.
Inflected forms:
form: overcomes
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: overcoming
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: overcame
pos: verb
tags: past
form: overcome
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: o'ercome
pos: verb
tags: alternative
poetic
form: overcomes
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: o'ercome
pos: noun
tags: alternative
poetic
form: o'ercome
pos: adj
tags: alternative
poetic
Senses:
gloss: To surmount (a physical or abstract obstacle); to prevail over, to get the better of.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: But sith this wretched woman ouercome / Of anguish, rather then of crime hath beene,
By and by fumes of brandy began to fill the air, and climb to where I lay, overcoming the mouldy smell of decayed wood and the dampness of the green walls.
In the early days troubles were experienced with oscillation from the rod drive and with the transformers, but were overcome later, and these machines performed useful service until superseded by more modern locomotives less costly in maintenance.
gloss: To prevail.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: Hee that ouercommeth, the same shalbe clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the booke of life, but I will confesse his name before my Father, and before his Angels.
We shall overcome because Carlyle is right; "no lie can live forever".
Preacher: Maintain, my brothers and sisters--we have faced adversity, and overcome. This is but a test!
Preacher: Remember the pillars of strength that hold our people high. Show the galaxy our resolve!
gloss: To recover from (a difficulty), to get over.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
gloss: To win against or prevail over in some sort of battle, contest, etc.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: to overcome enemies in battle
Ther with all cam kyng Arthur but with a fewe peple and slewe on the lyfte hand and on the ryght hand that wel nyhe ther escaped no man / but alle were slayne to the nombre of xxx M / And whan the bataille was all ended the kynge kneled doune and thanked god mekely / and thenne he sente for the quene and soone she was come / and she maade grete Ioye of the ouercomynge of that bataille
They were faire Ladies, till they fondly ſtriu’d / With th’Heliconian maides for mayſtery; / Of whom they ouer-comen, were depriu’d / Of their proud beautie, and th’one moyity / Transform’d to fiſh, for their bold ſurquedry, / But th’vpper halfe their hew retayned ſtill, / And their ſweet skill in wonted melody; / Which euer after they abuſd to ill, / T’allure weake traueillers, whom gotten they did kill.
That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired. And if the arts of humbleness failed him, he overcame you by sheer impudence.
gloss: To come or pass over; to spread over.
pos: verb
examples: I was overcome with anger.
And overcome us like a summer's cloud.
The firefighters put on breathing apparatus and managed to find the injured. In one case, they were almost too late - one of the bystanders who had helped with the initial rescue attempts had been reported missing. They were later found unconscious, having been overcome by the fumes.
gloss: To overflow; to surcharge.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
examples: A Crop so plenteous, as the Land to load,
O'ercome the crowded Barns
Th' unfallow'd Glebe Yearly o'ercomes the Granaries with Store Of Golden Wheat.
gloss: The burden or recurring theme in a song.
pos: noun
tags: Scotland
gloss: A surplus.
pos: noun
tags: Scotland
gloss: That has been overcome, prevailed over.
pos: adj
tags: not-comparable
Derived words: overcomable
overcomeable
overcomer
overcomingly
unovercome
Translations: