overhunt

verb

over·​hunt ˌō-vər-ˈhənt How to pronounce overhunt (audio)
overhunted; overhunting

transitive verb

1
: to hunt (animals) to an excessive and usually harmful degree
overhunted the local deer population
2
: to hunt (an area) excessively to the point that the kinds of animals hunted become scarce
overhunting certain regions of the country
overhunting noun
Overhunting ranks as a major problem for a third of the mammals and birds threatened with extinction … Susan Milius

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of overhunt was in 1862

Dictionary Entries Near overhunt

Cite this Entry

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

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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