overwhelm
v.v. to give someone too much of something to deal with, like work or strong feelings. It can also mean to defeat someone completely.
v. to overcome completely in mind or feeling; to submerge or bury beneath a mass of something. Often used in the passive voice to describe an emotional state or a workload that exceeds capacity.
The sheer amount of homework will overwhelm the students.
The sudden surge of orders during the holiday sale threatened to overwhelm the small warehouse team.
The defense was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer speed and coordination of the opposing team's offensive strategy, leading to a decisive defeat.
Inherited from Middle English overwhelmen, equivalent to over- + whelm.
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object; frequently used in the passive form 'to be overwhelmed by/with'.
I am very overwhelming with work.I am very overwhelmed with work.Learners often confuse the active participle '-ing' (the cause) with the passive participle '-ed' (the feeling).