Overcame

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˌəʊ.vəˈkeɪm/

Definitions

1. To have successfully managed to prevail against adversities while surpassing challenges and defeating opposing forces
2. To have triumphed in the face of difficulties by overcoming hurdles and surpassing existing limits
3. Managed to get past or resolve a difficult obstacle or situation

Etymology: "Overcame" is simply the past tense of "overcome," so the history belongs to its base verb. That verb descends from Old English "ofercuman," meaning to conquer, subdue, or reach something, which was built from "ofer" (over) and "cuman" (come). The literal picture of coming over an obstacle gradually shifted toward the sense of defeating it, and then toward the sense of succeeding against difficulty. The same construction appears across the Germanic languages: Dutch "overkomen," German "überkommen," Danish "overkomme," and Swedish "överkomma" all share the root. Each keeps some version of the sense of coming over or across something.

Synonyms: conquered, defeated

Antonyms: failed, surrendered