Talk about succeeding against a difficulty or obstacle.
The idea
Use overcome directly with the difficulty. The past is overcame and the past participle is overcome.
Examples
- Maya overcame her fear of swimming last summer.
- The team overcame several delays to finish the bridge.
- We can overcome this problem if we work together.
- The village has overcome a serious water shortage.
- With practice, Leo is overcoming his fear of speaking in public.
- The students overcame language barriers during the project.
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Watch out
Do not use overcame after have: say has overcome.
Try it yourself
Choose the correct answer. Last year, the runner ___ a knee injury. (overcame / overcome)
Show answer or example answer
overcame
overcame places the recovery in a finished past period.
Choose the correct answer. The town has ___ many challenges. (overcome / overcame)
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overcome
overcome follows has as the past participle.
Choose the correct answer. Together, we can ___ the obstacle. (overcome / overcame)
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overcome
overcome follows the modal can in its base form.
Practice round
Answer questions and rebuild English sentences to practise. Your score is shown.
Choose the correct answer. Last year, the runner ___ a knee injury. (overcame / overcome)
Choose the correct answer. The town has ___ many challenges. (overcome / overcame)
Choose the correct answer. Together, we can ___ the obstacle. (overcome / overcame)
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Describe a difficulty you overcame and one you hope to overcome.