Standard Lemma guide

overawe

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /əʊvəˈɹɔː/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /oʊvɚˈɔ/
  • US, cot-caught-merger, dialectal: /oʊvɚˈɑ/ of Canada
  • Canada, dialectal: /oʊvɚˈɒ/ of the US
  • Australian: /əʉvəˈɹoː/
  • Australian: /ɐʉvəˈɹoː/
  • New-Zealand: /ɐʉvəˈɹoː/
  • rhymes with -ɔː

1

verb

Meaning 1

To restrain, subdue, or control by awe; to cow.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

subdue, restrain, or overcome by affecting with a feeling of awe; frighten (as with threats)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cow

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: awe

Narrower terms: buffalo

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Germanic *uber Old English ofer- Middle English over- English over- French auvebor. English awe English overawe From over- + awe.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: сплашвам (splašvam) — to restrain, subdue, or control by awe; to cow
  • Bulgarian: всявам страх (vsjavam strah) — to restrain, subdue, or control by awe; to cow
  • Finnish: pelotella — to restrain, subdue, or control by awe; to cow
  • Russian: внушать благоговейный страх (blagogovejnyj) — to restrain, subdue, or control by awe; to cow