overpower

To overpower someone or something means to defeat, control, or overcome them because you are much stronger or more forceful. Imagine a powerful wave hitting a small sandcastle: the wave is simply too strong for the castle to stand. You can overpower an opponent in a fight, or a strong smell can overpower your senses. It usually suggests a clear imbalance, where one side is too strong for the other to resist.

The word "overpower" describes a situation where one force becomes stronger than another and leaves it unable to resist. This is often about physical strength, but it can also describe emotions, smells, sounds, or anything else that feels too strong to handle. Think of a heavy smell in a room that overpowers every other scent, or a sudden feeling of fear that overpowers someone's calm.

We often see it used in contexts involving conflict: "The guard was overpowered by two attackers." In that kind of sentence, it means someone was defeated or physically controlled by greater force. But the word also extends beyond direct violence. A loud flavor can overpower a meal, bright sunlight can overpower a weak light indoors, and a rush of emotion can overpower someone's ability to think clearly.

You can also use "overpower" when one thing is so strong that it hides or defeats another thing. "The spicy sauce overpowered the delicate flavor of the fish" means the sauce was so strong that you could no longer notice the fish very well. In the same way, we may say that panic overpowered reason, or that noise overpowered the music.

So whether it is a physical struggle, a strong emotion, or a sensory experience, to overpower means to overcome, control, or drown out something by being much stronger than it.