overcrowded

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

Examples of overcrowded in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There are loving families across the country searching for the right pet, while shelters in other regions remain overcrowded. —Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Mar. 2026

Also, cut away any areas of the plant that are overcrowded to prevent disease. —Lauren Wellbank, Martha Stewart, 5 Mar. 2026

Their homes and businesses were seized while they were imprisoned, often in overcrowded, wooden bunk houses in bleak locations with harsh conditions. —ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026

Irvi started busing tables at the bistro on the Upper West Side, while Rachel taught overcrowded classrooms of low-income students. —Caitlin Dickerson, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of overcrowd

First Known Use

1725, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overcrowded

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