Meaning & use
overcome
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To succeed in dealing with a difficulty or fear so that it no longer stops you.
Grammar: Always takes an object: overcome a problem.
Patterns
- overcome something
She overcame her fear of public speaking.
The team overcame many obstacles to finish the project.
He worked hard to overcome his shyness.
verbtransitive
To defeat or beat an opponent.
Grammar: Takes an object: overcome the enemy.
Patterns
- overcome someone
The home team overcame its rivals in the final.
verbtransitive
To affect someone so strongly that they cannot act normally; usually passive.
Grammar: Often used in the passive with by or with: overcome by smoke.
Patterns
- be overcome by something
- be overcome with something
He was overcome by the heat and fainted.
She was overcome with joy at the news.
Word forms
| third person singular | overcomes |
|---|---|
| past tense | overcame |
| past participle | overcome |
| -ing form | overcoming |
Common combinations
- overcome obstacles
- They overcame obstacles to open the school.
- overcome a fear
- He overcame his fear of heights.
- overcome difficulties
- She overcame difficulties early in life.
- overcome by emotion
- He was overcome by emotion.
- overcome resistance
- The plan overcame resistance from local people.
Synonyms and how they differ
- conquer
- Stronger and more dramatic, suggesting a complete victory.
- surmount
- More formal, used for obstacles and difficulties.
- defeat
- Mainly used for an opponent, not a problem or emotion.
- beat
- Informal and common for both opponents and problems.
Opposites
Word family
- overcoming noun
- the act of succeeding over something difficult
Commonly confused: overcome or get over?
overcome vs get over
Get over means to recover from an illness or upset; overcome suggests actively beating a challenge.
Practice
The young swimmer ___ her fear of deep water and joined the team.
Choose one answer.
Overcame is the past tense of overcome, meaning beat a fear. Overlooked means failed to notice, and overcomes is the wrong tense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “overcome”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.