overwhelm

 
Pronunciation: /əʊvəˈwɛlm/

verb

[with object]
  • 1bury or drown beneath a huge mass of something, especially water: floodwaters overwhelmed hundreds of houses
  • give too much of something to; inundate: they were overwhelmed by farewell messages
  • 2have a strong emotional effect on: I was overwhelmed with guilt
  • 3defeat completely: [with object and complement]: the Irish side was overwhelmed 15-3 by Scotland
  • be too strong for; overpower: the Stilton doesn’t overwhelm the flavour of the trout

Spelling help

Remember that overwhelm is spelled with an h after the w.