verklempt

adjective

ver·klempt fər-ˈklem(p)t

vər-

informal

: overcome with emotion : choked up

Hunched over my tiny screens lately, I've found myself … verklempt over an old video I posted of my son blowing bubbles in the bathtub.—

James Poniewozik

Examples of verklempt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson reunites with Modern Family daughter Aubrey Anderson-Emmons for her school play Ferguson left the encounter feeling verklempt, but still utterly befuddled by how Krakowski recognized him. —

Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 16 July 2024 Though the band kept their introductions and banter to a minimum, Henley seemed genuinely verklempt at the opportunity to entertain generations of fans. —

Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Jan. 2024 Matt Rogers got verklempt at Tayla’s surprise song. —

Vulture, 6 Aug. 2023 Every single passenger of Noordam seems verklempt, stunned into silence by the unexpected grandeur and fragility of the confluence of ice and stone and sea and sky. —

Ernest White Ii, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Nov. 2022 The 95-year-old Bennett—who retired from music last year after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease—introduced Gaga, who was clearly verklempt to be singing solo. —

Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 4 Apr. 2022 Tre is also a devoted son who gets a little verklempt talking about his parents, who have been married for 29 years. —

Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 8 June 2024 Actor BD Wong, a San Francisco native who has achieved great acclaim on Broadway and television, was initially verklempt, struggling to contain his emotion before finding words to describe Perloff. —

Catherine Bigelow, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Apr. 2018

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Yiddish farklemt "depressed, grieving," past participle of farklemen "to grip, press," going back to Middle High German verklemmen, from ver-, vir-, vor-, verb prefix, here with intensive force (going back to Old High German fir-, far- for-) + klemmen "to press, squeeze," going back to Old High German -klemmen (in biklemmen "to block, oppress"), going back to Germanic *klammjan-, derivative from a base *klamm-, whence Old English clam, clom "bond, fetter" — more at clam entry 1