Meaning & use
whelm
To completely cover, submerge, or overpower something, engulfing it entirely.
See it in a sentence
Ancient poets described great waves that whelmed entire fleets in a single night.
A sudden flood whelmed the low-lying fields within hours.
A note on using this word
Rare and archaic on its own; it survives mainly inside the more common words "overwhelm" and "underwhelm."
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “whelm”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.