over·sup·ply
ˈō-vər-sə-ˌplī 
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
Robert KuttnerAlthough 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
Daniel Soggan 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
Joanne Ostrow
over·sup·ply
ˌō-vər-sə-ˈplī
oversupplied; oversupplying
: 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
Jackson Stilesmanufacturers oversupplying the market
oversupplied
adjective
… the inevitable result of spilling a million workers into an already oversupplied low-wage labor market …
—Jeff Faux
Jeff Faux
Examples of oversupply in a Sentence
Noun
an oversupply of new homes is helping to drive down housing prices
Recent Examples on the Web
Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
For customers, this oversupply means cheaper butter.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
Sam Meredith, CNBC, 10 Feb. 2026
Price volatility may persist, but the ability and willingness of the industry to rapidly oversupply the market has diminished.
—Bryce Erickson, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for oversupply
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Noun
Though the threat of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or bird flu, is still high, the egg industry now has an oversupply, and wholesale egg prices in early January were at record lows, an egg farmer and others in the industry told USA TODAY.
—Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
For customers, this oversupply means cheaper butter.
—Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2026
Verb
Oil prices notched their biggest annual loss since the Covid-19 pandemic last year, partly due to oversupply concerns, ratcheting up the pressure on Big Oil’s commitment to shareholder returns.
—Sam Meredith, CNBC, 10 Feb. 2026
Price volatility may persist, but the ability and willingness of the industry to rapidly oversupply the market has diminished.
—Bryce Erickson, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for oversupply
Cite this Entry
“Oversupply.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oversupply. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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