overrun

1 of 2

verb

over·​run ˌō-vər-ˈrən How to pronounce overrun (audio)
ˌō-və-
overran ˌō-vər-ˈran How to pronounce overrun (audio)
ˌō-və-
; overrun; overrunning

transitive verb

1
a(1)
: to defeat decisively and occupy the positions of
(2)
: to invade and occupy or ravage
b
: to spread or swarm over : infest
2
a
: to run or go beyond or past
the plane overran the runway
b
: exceed
overrun a budget
c
: to readjust (set type) by shifting letters or words from one line into another
3
: to flow over
the river overran its banks

overrun

2 of 2

noun

over·​run ˈō-vər-ˌrən How to pronounce overrun (audio)
ˈō-və-
1
: an act or instance of overrunning
especially : an exceeding of the costs estimated in a contract for development and manufacture of new equipment
2
: the amount by which something overruns
3
: a run in excess of the quantity ordered by a customer

Examples of overrun in a Sentence

Verb The tank divisions overran the countryside. The city was being overrun by enemy troops. The plane overran the runway. His speech overran the time allowed.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Taliban fighters had overrun numerous cities and districts on their march to Kabul, facing nominal resistance from the Afghan security forces trained and subsidized by the U.S. government for more than 20 years. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 20 Mar. 2024 Saito, who lives in a small white house at the corner of 37th Drive and South Catalina Avenue, said he feels caught up in forces beyond his control, as both a victim of the gentrification around him — with his street being overrun by tall buildings—and a gentrifier himself. Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 The group can be seen moving its materials across Union Square and near Independence Avenue, two iconic areas near Capitol Hill that would later be overrun by some of the thousands who converged at the Capitol after a speech by former President Trump about 2 miles away, at the Ellipse. Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 18 Mar. 2024 Armed gangs, whose power has surged in the vacuum left by the still-unsolved assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, have overrun much of the Caribbean country, leaving it on the brink of collapse. Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 The decrepit building is also overrun with cockroaches, mold, defective elevators and out-of-order bathrooms, Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told city council members at a Criminal Justice Committee meeting. Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024 Millions of Ukrainians had just overrun the country’s pro-Kremlin government and the president, Viktor Yanukovych, and his spy chiefs had fled to Russia. Michael Schwirtz, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024 The few aid trucks that get through are overrun by desperate families at risk of starvation. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 Now the United States is being overrun by the Biden migrant crime. CBS News, 3 Mar. 2024
Noun
Other employers and unions nationwide are facing similar cost overruns. Kevin Lyons, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2024 Firmly established as a popstar, Carmen released his second studio album, Boats Against the Current, to great expectation in 1977, although the recording of the album was fraught with problems and cost overruns. Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2024 But persistent cost overruns during its development phase nearly led to the cancellation of the International Space Station, and doomed the George W. Bush Administration’s Constellation program, which planned crewed missions to the moon and to Mars. David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 The carpet, also deep red, is from an overrun of rolls that Christy bought from a restaurant inside Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Bill Esparza, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Under the 2018 deal, the county's financial contributions are to be capped at $380 million — with Bedrock responsible for remaining costs and cost overruns. Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024 Several utilities pulled out of the project due to cost overruns. Joseph Lawler, Washington Examiner, 15 Jan. 2024 Left unchecked, cost and schedule overruns for MSR could easily cascade throughout the space agency’s planetary science division to disrupt these other projects—not to mention any NASA efforts to send humans to Mars. Leonard David, Scientific American, 11 Jan. 2024 Despite these efforts, the project experienced significant cost overruns and delays. George Dvorsky / Gizmodo, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overrun.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Noun

1898, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of overrun was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near overrun

Cite this Entry

“Overrun.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overrun. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

overrun

1 of 2 verb
over·​run ˌō-və(r)-ˈrən How to pronounce overrun (audio)
overran -ˈran How to pronounce overrun (audio) ; overrun; overrunning
1
a
: to invade and occupy
the island was overrun by the enemy
b
: to spread, swarm, or grow over
a garden overrun with weeds
rats overran the ship
2
: to run or go beyond or past
overran third base
the program overran the time allowed
3
: flow over
the river overran its banks

overrun

2 of 2 noun
over·​run ˈō-və(r)-ˌrən How to pronounce overrun (audio)
1
: an act or instance of overrunning
2
: the amount by which something overruns

More from Merriam-Webster on overrun

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!