To defeat or defeat someone by using greater strength or force; or to overwhelm or affect someone very strongly.
From 'over-' (beyond, excessive) and 'power' (strength). The combination emerged in English around the 1600s to express the idea of having more force than can be resisted.
The beauty of 'overpower' is that it works for physical strength AND emotions—you can overpower an opponent in a fight or be overpowered by grief, showing how language maps physical concepts onto abstract experience.
Used euphemistically in historical and legal contexts to obscure sexual violence; 'overpowered' became coded language that shifted agency from perpetrator to circumstance.
In safety/consent contexts, use precise language: 'forced,' 'assaulted,' 'without consent' rather than euphemistic 'overpowered.' In neutral contexts (strength), use freely.
["forced","assaulted","coerced","without consent"]
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