OVERWHELM', verb transitive 1. To overspread or crush beneath something violent and weighty, that covers or encompasses the whole; as, to overwhelm with waves. 2. To immerse and bear down; in a figurative sense; as, to be overwhelmed with cares, afflictions or business. 3. To overlook gloomily. 4. To put over. [Not used.] O'VERWHELM, noun The act of overwhelming.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI