overbook

verb

over·​book ˌō-vər-ˈbu̇k How to pronounce overbook (audio)
overbooked; overbooking; overbooks

transitive verb

: to issue reservations for (something, such as an airplane flight) in excess of the space available

intransitive verb

: to issue reservations in excess of the space available

Examples of overbook in a Sentence

The flight was overbooked, and I got bumped off. The airline overbooked the flight. The doctor's office called and said that they overbooked the appointments for today.
Recent Examples on the Web You might be tempted to schedule every hour of your itinerary in order to make the most of your trip, but don’t overbook. Sunny Fitzgerald, Travel + Leisure, 28 Feb. 2023 Be mindful not to overbook your trip to Kauai. Sunny Fitzgerald, Travel + Leisure, 6 Mar. 2023 Airlines are allowed to overbook. Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2023 Teams aren't allowed to overbook as a strategy. Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE.com, 18 Jan. 2022 For that reason, Quigley’s guide didn’t overbook her while still obliging her requests to focus on yoga and meditation with one-on-one classes. Jennifer Kester, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2023 Airlines sometimes overbook flights with the expectation that some passengers won’t show up. David Koenig, Anchorage Daily News, 2 July 2022 Of course, in this fast and furious world, there are businesses that routinely overbook and short staff. cleveland, 26 July 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overbook.' 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

1903, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of overbook was in 1903

Dictionary Entries Near overbook

Cite this Entry

“Overbook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overbook. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on overbook

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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