överkommer

Överkommer is a Swedish verb meaning to overcome or conquer, used for both literal and figurative overcoming of obstacles, fears, or opposition. The infinitive form is överkomma, built from the prefix över- “over” and komma “to come,” with the sense of coming over something or getting past it. The word is attested in Swedish and has cognates in other Germanic languages, such as Norwegian and Danish.

In modern Swedish, överkommer is the present tense form used for third-person singular (and is used in general present-tense constructions with the appropriate subject). The simple past is överkom, and the past participle (used in compound tenses with har or hade) is överkommit. The verb is transitive, typically taking a direct object when referring to overcoming something concrete or abstract. Common collocations include överkomma hinder, överkomma svårigheter, och överkomma rädsla. Examples: Han överkommer sina rädslor. Företaget överkom svårigheterna under krisen. Hon har överkommit sin historia av tvivel.

Etymology and relation to similar verbs: överkommer derives from över- + komma, with a semantic shift toward “to come over” or “to get past.” A near-synonym in Swedish is övervinna, though överkomma tends to emphasize the moment of getting past the barrier. In usage, överkommer and its forms appear in everyday language, journalism, and literary contexts to describe progress in personal, social, or physical challenges.