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travolgere

to overwhelm, to sweep away

verb trah-VOL-jeh-reh Less Common
Travel & Places Movement

Origin: From 'tra-' (through) + 'volgere' (to turn), Latin 'volvere.'

Also means

to knock down

Usage Note

Travolgere literally describes a physical force sweeping something away (l'alluvione ha travolto i ponti = the flood swept away the bridges), but it is very commonly used figuratively: essere travolto dagli eventi (to be overwhelmed by events), un amore travolgente (a sweeping, overpowering love). It takes avere and follows the irregular pattern of volgere.

Examples

"La folla ha travolto le barriere."

Natural Translation

The crowd swept away the barriers.

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