WHELM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does whelm mean? 

• WHELM (verb)
  The verb WHELM has 1 sense:

1. overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli

  Familiarity information: WHELM used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WHELM (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they whelm    ... he / she / it whelms   
Past simple: whelmed   
Past participle: whelmed   
-ing form: whelming   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Synonyms:

overcome; overpower; overtake; overwhelm; sweep over; whelm

Hypernyms (to "whelm" is one way to...):

arouse; elicit; enkindle; evoke; fire; kindle; provoke; raise (call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "whelm"):

devastate (overwhelm or overpower)

clutch; get hold of; seize (affect)

kill (overwhelm with hilarity, pleasure, or admiration)

benight (overtake with darkness or night)

knock out (overwhelm with admiration)

stagger (astound or overwhelm, as with shock)

lock (hold fast (in a certain state))

Sentence frame:

Something ----s somebody

 Context examples 

Each rolling mountain whelmed them from view, and I would wait with sickening anxiety, fearing that they would never appear again.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)