overcome

English Online Dictionary. What means overcome‎? What does overcome mean?

English

Alternative forms

• o'ercome (poetic)

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.

Pronunciation

• enPR: ō′vər-kŭm′
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌəʊ.vəˈkʌm/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˌoʊ.vəɹˈkʌm/

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˌəʉ.vəˈkɐm/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˌɐʉ.vɐˈkɐm/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /ˌo.vəɹˈkʌm/
• (India) IPA^(key): /ˌoː.vəʳˈkəm/
• Rhymes: -ʌm
• Hyphenation: o‧ver‧come

Verb

overcome (third-person singular simple present overcomes, present participle overcoming, simple past overcame, past participle overcome)

1. (transitive) To surmount (a physical or abstract obstacle); to prevail over, to get the better of.
2. (intransitive) To prevail.
3. (transitive) To recover from (a difficulty), to get over
4. (transitive) To win against or prevail over in some sort of battle, contest, etc.

   Synonym: vanquish
5. To come or pass over; to spread over.

   Synonym: overtake
6. (obsolete) To overflow; to surcharge.

Translations

Noun

overcome (plural overcomes)

1. (Scotland) The burden or recurring theme in a song.
2. (Scotland) A surplus.

Adjective

overcome (not comparable)

1. That has been overcome, prevailed over.

References

• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “overcome”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “overcome”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• come over, come-over, comeover