as in surplus
the state or an instance of going beyond what is usual, proper, or needed
the song already borders on the maudlin—the addition of a syrupy string accompaniment would just be overkill
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Recent Examples of overkill
Missiles cost tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars, are limited in quantity and can be overkill for a quadcopter drone that costs less than a laptop.
—
Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
If any of these items sound like overkill to you, congrats!
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 12 Feb. 2026
If a 17-game schedule is too much from a player safety standpoint, 18 is flat out overkill.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 6 Feb. 2026
The defense has argued that police waited too long to read Mangione his Miranda rights and that the police actions amounted to overkill.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overkill
Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
If any of these items sound like overkill to you, congrats!
—Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 12 Feb. 2026
If a 17-game schedule is too much from a player safety standpoint, 18 is flat out overkill.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 6 Feb. 2026
The defense has argued that police waited too long to read Mangione his Miranda rights and that the police actions amounted to overkill.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overkill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overkill
Noun
-
Major countries such as India are having to ration oil and gas, which, until recently, were projected to be in surplus.—
Derek Chollet,
semafor.com,
25 Mar. 2026
-
That’s because Citizens hasn’t always been able to keep a surplus of cash capable of paying millions of claims or anything close to it.—
Scott Pham,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
One of the things that struck him the most about the place was the lack of sunlight, and the excess of artificial lighting.—
Manuel Rueda,
NPR,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Trump supporters are calling out his excesses, while suburban moms join ICE Watch groups.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Parking also will be improved, Kinney said, to help manage and reduce overflow.—
Talia McWright,
Twin Cities,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The room by the grand main entrance on the parlor level became Hershon’s office, and an overflow of books sealed off the door itself — which had never been used much anyway.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overkill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overkill. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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