overfall
To fall on or spill over so as to cover (something).
transitive
But her laugh stuck in her throat, for at that moment a shadow overfell the two houses
To change or affect so as to pervade (something); to come over
transitive
From thence King Hakon proceeded up the Dovrefield; but as he was going over the mountains he road all day after a ptarmigan, which flew up beside him , and in this chase a sickness overfell him, which ended in his death ; and he died on the mountains.
To fall over; to spill from an edge or height.
intransitive
I had arrived at this conclusion, and was meditating on my possible conduct under the circumstances, as I groped my way gingerly enough in the dark shadow of a long crumbling wall, where the ivy clustered and overfell, when round a slight bend, obscured by straggling bushes , I came upon the most unexpected and picturesque sight imaginable – that of a gipsy camp.
To fall over; to topple.
intransitive
Then back-toppling, crashing back – a dead weight flung out to wrack, Horse and riders overfell.
Where it comes from
From Middle English overfallen, from Old English oferfeallan (“to fall upon, attack”), from Proto-West Germanic *obarfallan, *ubirfallan, from Proto-Germanic *ubirfallaną; equivalent to over- + fall. Cognate with Dutch overvallen (“to raid, overtake”), German überfallen (“to assault, attack, raid”), Swedish överfalla (“to attack”).
Adapted from the Wiktionary entry overfall (CC BY-SA 4.0).