glut

verb \ ˈglət \

|Updated on: 6 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Definition of glut

glutted; glutting

transitive verb

1 : to fill especially with food to satiety

glutted themselves at the restaurant buffet

2 : to flood (the market) with goods so that supply exceeds demand

The market is glutted with oil.

intransitive verb

: to eat gluttonously

Recent Examples of glut from the Web

With so many new cars rolling out of dealerships lots and instantly becoming used cars, the secondary market is glutted and the pace of depreciation is rapidly accelerating.

— kyle stock, chicagotribune.com, "Car values dropping, underwater loans rising," 21 Aug. 2017
Start in high plank position with your hands stacked underneath your shoulders, your core, quads, and glutes engaged, back flat, and your body in one straight line.

— leah prinzivalli, SELF, "How Jennifer Lopez's Trainer, David Kirsch, Uses the TRX to Build Core Strength," 27 Apr. 2018
Launching a new luxury condo tower at a time when the market is glutted with unsold inventory might seem like risky business.

— rene rodriguez, miamiherald, "Real estate developers ran out of waterfront property. Now they might want to buy yours | Miami Herald," 6 Mar. 2018
But the market is still glutted by too much supply, which caused the average luxury sales price to fall 6.3 percent in 2017, according to Mansion Global.

— rene rodriguez, miamiherald, "Bitcoin is booming in Miami. But can you buy a house with it?," 26 Jan. 2018
The new wave of crude has again glutted the market.

— bradley olson and alison sider, WSJ, "Wall Street Cash Pumps Up Oil Production Even as Prices Sag," 7 July 2017
When the shale drilling revolution glutted the market with natural gas beginning in 2008, an abundance of power plants were already on hand to put it to use.

— jonathan thompson, New Republic, "Trump Is Big Coal’s Last Gasp," 21 Sep. 2017
In a region glutted with ex-NYC chefs and farmhouse-chic dining spots, Lil’ Deb’s stands apart, both figuratively and literally.

— amanda shapiro, Bon Appetit, "This Restaurant Is Basically an Art Installation with Knockout Food," 11 Sep. 2017
Because global oil and gas markets are already glutted, moves by the Trump administration to boost drilling and exports can only play a marginal role.

— georgi kantchev and lynn cook, WSJ, "U.S. Boost to Oil Drilling Will Barely Dent Russia’s Energy Monolith," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'glut.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of glut

Middle English glouten, probably from Anglo-French glutir to swallow, from Latin gluttire — more at glutton

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of glut

satiate, sate, surfeit, cloy, pall, glut, gorge mean to fill to repletion. satiate and sate may sometimes imply only complete satisfaction but more often suggest repletion that has destroyed interest or desire.

- years of globe-trotting had satiated their interest in travel
- readers were sated with sensationalistic stories

surfeit implies a nauseating repletion.

- surfeited themselves with junk food

cloy stresses the disgust or boredom resulting from such surfeiting.

- sentimental pictures that cloy after a while

pall emphasizes the loss of ability to stimulate interest or appetite.

- a life of leisure eventually begins to pall

glut implies excess in feeding or supplying.

- a market glutted with diet books

gorge suggests glutting to the point of bursting or choking.

- gorged themselves with chocolate

glut

noun

Definition of glut

1 : an excessive quantity : oversupply

a glut of oil on the market

2 archaic : the act or process of glutting

See glut defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of glut from the Web

In some ways, the glut of picks helped the Royals be ready for Singer's fall.

— sam mellinger, kansascity, "The future of the Royals through the eyes of the man building it," 29 June 2018
To stay in the game, cable networks and other streaming services have commissioned hundreds of hours of high-quality scripted programming, providing an unprecedented glut of good television drama.

— The Economist, "Netflix is moving television beyond time-slots and national markets," 28 June 2018
The pipe mill is set to reopen after three years, when it was shuttered during the recent oil bust amid a glut of pipe supplies from foreign imports.

— jordan blum, San Antonio Express-News, "Tenaris to reopen Conroe pipe plant," 27 June 2018
To invest more money to create more of a glut of bigs seems foolish.

— jason jones, sacbee, "Kings Q&A: Realistic targets in free agency? Is Jabari Parker worth a look?," 25 June 2018
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies have succeeded in wiping out an oil glut through production cuts launched in early 2017, boosting prices to a three-year high above $75 a barrel.

— rupert rowling, Bloomberg.com, "OPEC Cuts May Go Deeper as Another Member Sees Output Slump," 27 Apr. 2018
For three years, a global glut of crude has weighed on the finances of oil-exporting countries.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Oil Falls After Trump Scolds OPEC for Raising Prices," 20 Apr. 2018
Then the global recession sharply reduced demand and sent prices tumbling to about $40, a collapse that was compounded by OPEC manipulations and an oil glut caused by rapid expansion of fracking operations.

— elliott d. woods, Outside Online, "Zinke's Plan to Fund the Park Service Is Pure Fantasy," 24 Mar. 2018
Although China only accounts for two percent of U.S. steel imports, its massive industry expansion has helped produce a global glut of steel that has driven down prices.

— author: steve holland, ginger gibson, Anchorage Daily News, "Trump administration to impose hefty tariffs on steel and aluminum imports," 1 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of glut

see ¹glut

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1546

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

glut

verb

Definition of glut

glutted; glutting

transitive verb

archaic

: to swallow greedily

Origin and Etymology of glut

probably from obsolete glut, noun, swallow

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1600

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

GLUT Defined for English Language Learners

glut

noun

Definition of glut for English Language Learners

: too much of something : a supply of something that is much more than is needed or wanted

GLUT Defined for Kids

glut

verb \ ˈglət \

Definition of glut for Students

glutted; glutting

1 : to make very full

2 : to flood with goods so that supply is greater than demand

The market is glutted with new cars.

glut

noun

Definition of glut for Students

: too much of something

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glut

Definition of glut

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Origin and Etymology of glut

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glut

Definition of glut

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Origin and Etymology of glut

glut

Definition of glut

Origin and Etymology of glut

GLUT Defined for English Language Learners

glut

Definition of glut for English Language Learners

GLUT Defined for Kids

glut

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glut

Definition of glut for Students

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