Meaning & use
overwhelmed with work
Last updated
Meaning
phraseafter a verb
Having more work than you can easily deal with, causing stress or difficulty.
Grammar: Used after linking verbs like 'be', 'feel', 'seem'. Often followed by 'at the moment' or 'these days'.
Patterns
- be overwhelmed with work
- feel overwhelmed with work
- get overwhelmed with work
She's been overwhelmed with work since her colleague left.
I feel overwhelmed with work when I have too many deadlines.
He got overwhelmed with work and had to ask for help.
Common combinations
- be overwhelmed with work
- I'm overwhelmed with work this week.
- feel overwhelmed with work
- She feels overwhelmed with work and needs a break.
- get overwhelmed with work
- Don't get overwhelmed with work; prioritize tasks.
- overwhelmed with work and stress
- He was overwhelmed with work and stress.
Synonyms and how they differ
- swamped with work
- More informal and emphasizes being flooded with tasks.
- snowed under with work
- Informal British; suggests being buried under work.
Opposites
Word family
- overwhelm verb
- To have a strong effect on someone; to overpower.
- overwhelming adjective
- Very great or strong; difficult to handle.
Commonly confused: overwhelmed with work or overwhelmed by work?
overwhelmed with work vs overwhelmed by work
Similar, but 'by' often emphasizes the agent causing the feeling; 'with' is more common for the state.
Practice
Choose the correct preposition: 'She is overwhelmed ___ work.'
Choose one answer.
'Overwhelmed with work' is the standard phrase. 'By' is possible but less common in this context; 'of' and 'from' are incorrect.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “overwhelmed with work”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.