overcrowded

1 of 2

adjective

over·​crowd·​ed ˌō-vər-ˈkrau̇-dəd 

: crowded or filled to excess : having too many people or things

overcrowded streets/cities/classrooms

living in overcrowded conditions

… having an overcrowded space can make it hard for buyers to … visualize their own belongings in the space, said Los Angeles-based designer Francesca Grace.

—Jennifer Tzeses

… some 5 million workers commute for up to three hours on trains so overcrowded that there seem to be as many passengers hanging on to the outside of the carriages as there are inside.

—Ismail Merchant

overcrowded

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of overcrowd

Examples of overcrowded in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Sales inside China have suffered as an oversupply of many goods, from autos and TVs to shoes and electronics, has pumped up competition in overcrowded industries, prompting manufacturers to step up overseas expansions. — ABC News, 10 Nov. 2026

The unrest began with a handful of student demonstrations over crumbling infrastructure and overcrowded high-school classrooms, then rippled across France to encompass labor unions with grievances over the cost of living. — Sarah Moroz, Pitchfork, 10 Nov. 2026

Avoiding the ‘disease super-spreader’ overcrowded garden The closer roses are planted together, the higher the risk of fungal disease due to restricted airflow. — Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026

Many French students returned to stifling, overcrowded, teacherless classrooms (with no substitute teacher for weeks) as the deadly heatwaves in Europe extended far past their usual summer boundary. — Sarah Gidick, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from past participle of overcrowd

First Known Use

Adjective

1725, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overcrowded

• clouded
• crowded
• shrouded
• enshrouded
• unclouded
• uncrowded