whelm

whelm  (hwlm, wlm)

tr.v. whelmed, whelm·ing, whelms

1. To cover with water; submerge.

2. To overwhelm.

---

[Middle English whelmen, to overturn, probably alteration (influenced by helmen, to cover) of whelven, from Old English -hwelfan (as in hwelfan, to cover over).]

Thesaurus

Verb

1.

whelm - overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli overwhelm, sweep over, overpower, overtake, overcome devastate - overwhelm or overpower; "He was devastated by his grief when his son died" clutch, get hold of, seize - affect; "Fear seized the prisoners"; "The patient was seized with unbearable pains"; "He was seized with a dreadful disease" arouse, elicit, evoke, provoke, enkindle, kindle, fire, raise - call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses); "arouse pity"; "raise a smile"; "evoke sympathy" kill - overwhelm with hilarity, pleasure, or admiration; "The comedian was so funny, he was killing me!" benight - overtake with darkness or night knock out - overwhelm with admiration; "All the guys were knocked out by her charm" stagger - astound or overwhelm, as with shock; "She was staggered with bills after she tried to rebuild her house following the earthquake" lock - hold fast (in a certain state); "He was locked in a laughing fit"