English Reference

Word

overcoming

Phoneticsover·com·ing

US/ˈoʊvɝˌkəmɪŋ/

UK/ˌəʊvəkˈʌmɪŋ/

Definitions

01the act of surmounting

B2

n. the act of successfully dealing with a problem or a difficult situation.

n. the act or process of surmounting an obstacle, difficulty, or personal challenge.

“The overcoming of her fear of heights took many years of practice.”

“The overcoming of systemic barriers requires more than individual effort; it demands a fundamental shift in institutional policy.”

Synonyms

conqueringsurmountingmastery

Antonyms

02successfully dealing with

B2

v. the -ing form of 'overcome', used to describe the action of winning against a problem.

v. the present participle or gerund of 'overcome', used in continuous tenses or as a noun-like action.

“She is slowly overcoming her shyness by joining a local drama club.”

“By overcoming these initial technical hurdles, the research team paved the way for a more robust implementation of the software.”

Antonyms

Real-World Examples

“Wendelken will meet Swiss player Remy Bertola after overcoming Italy's Stefano Travaglia 6-4 3-6 6-3.”
BBC News · 24 Aug 2026
“Overcoming these challenges may only be a matter of time.”
The Conversation · 5 Aug 2026

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/overcoming

English Reference