In this English vocabulary lesson, learn how to use "overwhelm, overwhelmed, overwhelming". To overwhelm is an active verb. It's used to say that someone causes a strong (negative) reaction in someone. The reaction is similar to stress or anxiety. To be overwhelmed is a passive verb. It's used to talk about having the strong negative reaction, not the person who causes the reaction. Overwhelming is an adjective and it's used to describe situations. You can use it after the verb "to be" or in fro