overregulate

verb

over·​reg·​u·​late ˌō-vər-ˈre-gyə-ˌlāt How to pronounce overregulate (audio)
 also  -ˈrā-
overregulated; overregulating

transitive + intransitive

: to regulate (something) to an excessive degree
Hospitals bitterly oppose the passage of such laws, saying they oversimplify complex issues and overregulate an already struggling industry.Tessa DeCarlo
This tendency to overregulate, which results from political pressures …Clark C. Havighurst
overregulation
ˌō-vər-ˌre-gyə-ˈlā-shən How to pronounce overregulate (audio)
-ˌre-gə-
 also  -ˌrā-
noun
… risked hurting the economy through overregulation. Richard Brookhiser

Examples of overregulate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Washington Times later reports that Schneider also takes issue with his home state overregulating his vitamin business. Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 28 June 2023 China’s government considers biopharmaceuticals an important economic driver and has no incentive to overregulate the sector, the U.S. Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking said in February. Brian Spegele, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2022

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

1881, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overregulate was in 1881

Dictionary Entries Near overregulate

Cite this Entry

“Overregulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overregulate. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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