Origin: Germanic Old English prefix
Overcome has 6 different meanings across 1 category:
The burden or recurring theme in a song.
"The melancholy melody serves as an overcoming tone that lingers throughout the entire ballad."
In plain English: There is no noun form of overcome; it is only used as a verb meaning to succeed against something difficult.
"The team showed great overcome in their victory against the odds."
win a victory over
"You must overcome all difficulties"
"defeat your enemies"
"He overcame his shyness"
"He overcame his infirmity"
"Her anger got the better of her and she blew up"
overcome, usually through no fault or weakness of the person that is overcome
"Heart disease can get the best of us"
To surmount (a physical or abstract obstacle); to prevail over, to get the better of.
"The athlete managed to overcome the steep mountain climb and reach the summit before sunset."
In plain English: To overcome means to successfully deal with and get past something difficult so you can move on.
"It took her some time to overcome her fear of public speaking."
Usage: Use overcome as an active verb meaning to successfully deal with a difficulty or defeat an opponent. Do not confuse it with "overcome" used transitively for objects; instead, pair it directly with abstract challenges like fears or physical barriers such as hills.
Overcome comes from Old English ofercuman, which originally meant to subdue, conquer, or overtake someone. The word is formed by combining the prefix "over-" with "come."