- (transitive)
to dominate or overcome - (transitive)
to press or bear down with weight or physical force to produce or bear (fruit, progeny, etc) excessively
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
o•ver•bear
(ō′vər bâr′),USA pronunciation v., -bore, -borne, -bear•ing.
v.t.
v.i.
o′ver•bear′er, n.
v.t.
- to bear over or down by weight or force:With his superior strength he easily overbore his opponent in the fight.
- to overcome or overwhelm:A spirited defense had overborne the enemy attack.
- to prevail over or overrule (wishes, objections, etc.):She overbore all objections to the new plan.
- to treat in a domineering way;
dominate:to overbear one's children with threats of violence. - Nautical, Naval Terms(of a sailing ship) to have the advantage of (another sailing ship) because of an ability to carry more canvas safely.
v.i.
- to produce fruit or progeny so abundantly as to impair the health.
- over- + bear1 1525–35
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'overbear' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):