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Overwhelm (Verb)

Overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli.

Verbs of feeling.

The news of her parents' passing began to overwhelm her with grief and sadness.
The city's crowded streets and loud noises tended to overwhelm tourists visiting for the first time.
The complexity of the data started to overwhelm the team's ability to make sense of it.
The beautiful landscape and calm atmosphere helped to soothe her, and prevent the stresses of her job from overwhelming her.
As she walked through the memorial, memories of the past began to overwhelm her, forcing her to take a step back.

Cover completely or make imperceptible; "I was drowned in work"; "The noise drowned out her speech".

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.

The bright light from the stadium overwhelm the weak glow of the phone's flashlight, making it almost useless.
The powerful speakers began to overwhelm the voices of the singers during the church service.
Her presence overwhelm the room with an aura of authority and confidence.
When the plane took off the roar of the engines overwhelm the screaming of children.
Years of growth overwhelm the park's carefully maintained lawns with tall, untamed trees.

Overcome by superior force.

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities.

The rebel forces would eventually overwhelm the kingdom's defenses due to their sheer numbers.
The small village was no match for the invading army and was quickly set to overwhelm it.
A series of successive earthquakes began to overwhelm the city's emergency services, leaving many stranded without aid.
With an endless barrage of arrows, the enemy would eventually overwhelm the castle's wall.
The invaders' superior artillery was designed to overwhelm any coastal fortress that dared to resist.

Charge someone with too many tasks.

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing.

Her boss started to overwhelm Emily with project after project, leaving her little time for anything else.
The company tried not to overwhelm new employees by explaining just one procedure at a time.
Overseeing two teams became too much after his supervisor tasked him with overseeing a third, starting to overwhelm his capacities.
With three kids and working two jobs, Sarah worried that her partner was about to overwhelm under all his new responsibilities.
Managers had to be wary of overwhelming team members with too many tasks and deadlines to be a productive and supportive leader.