1
as in dominated
to bring under one's control by force of arms
the invading army overpowered the countryside with lightning speed
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in overwhelmed
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress
overpowered by fear of the unknown
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overpowered
However, Braddy overpowered two officers — and escaped a third time.
—
Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2026
But these are, unfortunately, overpowered by notes that are unappealing, like tannic oak, bitter licorice, wet tobacco, menthol, and—not to be too rude to the whiskey or to anyone’s pet—the smell of wet dog.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 21 Dec. 2025
Despite their efforts to disarm him, the gunman eventually overpowered the two bystanders and killed them, according to authorities.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 17 Dec. 2025
And last month, dozens of ancient gold coins were stolen when a Swiss museum after a guard was overpowered by thieves, police said.
—CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
This powder had a very sweet, chocolately flavor that overpowered the taste of my coffee.
—Maggie Donahue, Health, 29 Nov. 2025
Stewartville overpowered the Zephyrs at the net down the stretch in the first set to take the opening set with a 25-20 victory.
—Andrew Cornelius, Twin Cities, 5 Nov. 2025
There’s a mildly interesting thread of casting formerly maligned, misunderstood figures like Elizabeth Berkley and Jessica Simpson as clients, but any cultural commentary is overpowered by just how cruel the show is to their characters.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 4 Nov. 2025
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Bills defensive end Joey Bosa overpowered Chiefs left tackle Jaylon Moore and dropped quarterback Patrick Mahomes for a nine-yard sack.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overpowered
Verb
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Green Bay dominated Chicago for years.—
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The junior guard scored 20 points — including a couple of highlight-reel dunks — as host West Aurora dominated crosstown rival East Aurora during an 80-52 Upstate Eight West victory.—
Verb
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Those bold trunks of synapses, instead of the sleek connections most people have, mean that Kaylie can be overwhelmed by the flood of input coming her way.—
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Indiana overwhelmed Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl as Mendoza passed for 192 yards and three touchdowns.—
Verb
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The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine has subdued the most contagious virus on earth.—
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Nazism’s total domination politically and socially found an aesthetic counterpart in the visual reduction of bodies to things, ecstatically subdued before the hypnotic power of a leader, force, or sublime beauty.—
Verb
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Keldon Johnson had 27 points, Victor Wembanyama added 16 points and 14 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs overcame 38 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists from Luka Doncic to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 107-91 on Wednesday night.—
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In 2017, for instance, prosecutors in Contra Costa overcame an insanity defense by William Shultz, who murdered a 9-year-old Discovery Bay boy during a sleepover and blamed it on a delusion about an impending World War III.—
Verb
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The museum has never shied away from the more problematic areas of British art history, including art made in countries that Englands conquered or colonized.—
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Silicon Valley grew convinced that other difficult tasks would soon be conquered.—
Verb
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Though not every gallery has reopened since hurricanes devastated the island, the community brought back the Matlacha Art Walk in 2025.—
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There had been an influx of increasingly cataclysmal news out of Gaza, and Ben Hania made efforts to stay as informed as possible, but Hind’s innocent voice devastated her anew.—
Verb
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Francis, for his part, subjected the Church’s right wing to closer scrutiny by the Vatican.—
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The 2025 evaluation subjected electric vehicles to some of the harshest real-world conditions in the global auto industry.—
Verb
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The first turned a fourth-quarter fumble into a 59-yard score when Achane burst through a tired, and seemingly defeated Buffalo defensive front and outsprinted the Bills’ entire secondary to the end zone.—
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In nonplayoff action, Ben Chen rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns as Westford Academy defeated Newton South, 33-13.—
Cite this Entry
“Overpowered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overpowered. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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