oversupply

1 of 2

noun

over·​sup·​ply ˈō-vər-sə-ˌplī How to pronounce oversupply (audio)
plural oversupplies
: an excessive supply : an amount of something (such as a good) that is more than is needed or wanted
… if there is an oversupply of herring on a given day, the shrewd fishmonger will lower his price …Robert Kuttner
Although this means better and cheaper jug wines for consumers, the 122,000 acres of wine grapes coming into production over the next three years could well lead to oversupplies.Daniel Sogg
an oversupply of applicants for the available jobs
Information is in oversupply, and the audience wants someone who can help make sense of it.Joanne Ostrow

oversupply

2 of 2

verb

over·​sup·​ply ˌō-vər-sə-ˈplī How to pronounce oversupply (audio)
oversupplied; oversupplying

transitive verb

: to supply (something, such as a commodity) in excess
The OPEC nations have been oversupplying crude oil for more than two years, seemingly in an attempt to drive their main competitors—US shale oil and gas producers—out of business.Jackson Stiles
: to provide (someone or something) with more than is needed or wanted
manufacturers oversupplying the market
oversupplied adjective
… the inevitable result of spilling a million workers into an already oversupplied low-wage labor market … Jeff Faux

Examples of oversupply in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Chile, France and the United States are among the other large wine producers also grappling with oversupply, with even prime areas such as Bordeaux uprooting thousands of hectares of vines. Reuters, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 That oversupply, coupled with development pressures, has led more golf courses to close than to open since 2006. Cara Buckley, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2024 And less demand means more office oversupply, which could lead to major price drops that could leave lenders and landlords in the lurch. Sydney Lake, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2024 According to the report, additional challenges facing Hollywood that were exacerbated by the strikes include: oversupply, a weaker investment environment, technological disruption and foreign competition. Jennifer Maas, Variety, 7 Dec. 2023 Kelly Cunningham, San Diego Institute for Economic Research YES: Difficult to see a downside for the logical and readily apparent solution of San Diego’s oversupply of office space and undersupply of housing is converting the buildings to residential uses. Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2024 But since then, many new ships have been ordered and the situation has recently been one of oversupply. Jenni Reid, NBC News, 18 Dec. 2023 For the last seven weeks, crude prices have fallen on lingering oversupply concerns and skepticism around OPEC+ supply cuts. WSJ, 12 Dec. 2023 While much of the health care workforce is battling staff shortages, the emergency medicine field is trying to figure out how to manage a potential oversupply of physicians. Brittany Trang, STAT, 27 Oct. 2023
Verb
The beleaguered drugstore chain has been grappling with slowing sales, mounting debt and a slew of lawsuits that allege the company helped fuel the nation’s opioid epidemic by oversupplying painkillers. Melissa Repko, NBC News, 16 Oct. 2023 But such dispensaries may be soon be out of business because of competition, oversupply and expected new regulations around the drug’s cultivation and sale, several cannabis industry experts said in interviews. Mike Ives, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2023 Investors want oil companies to focus on returning profits to shareholders, not plowing cash into expensive drilling projects that could just oversupply the market once again. Matt Egan, CNN, 8 July 2021

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

Noun

1833, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1865, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oversupply was in 1833

Dictionary Entries Near oversupply

Cite this Entry

“Oversupply.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oversupply. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

oversupply

noun
over·​sup·​ply
-sə-ˈplī
: a supply that is too large : surplus
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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