overcome Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb win a victory over
    get the better of; defeat.
    • You must overcome all difficulties
    • defeat your enemies
    • He overcame his shyness
    • He overcame his infirmity
    • Her anger got the better of her and she blew up
  2. verb get on top of; deal with successfully
    get over; master; subdue; surmount.
    • He overcame his shyness
  3. verb overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
    overtake; overwhelm; overpower; whelm; sweep over.
  4. verb overcome, usually through no fault or weakness of the person that is overcome
    get the best; have the best.
    • Heart disease can get the best of us

WordNet

O`ver*come" transitive verb
Etymology
AS. ofercuman. See Over, Come, and cf. Supervene.
Wordforms
imperfect Overcame ; past participle Overcome; present participle & verbal noun Overcoming
Definitions
  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.
O`ver*come" intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To gain the superiority; to be victorious. Rev. iii. 21.

Webster 1913