over·dose
ˈō-vər-ˌdōs 
1
: too great a dose (as of a therapeutic agent)
also
: a lethal or toxic amount (as of a drug)
2
: an excessive quantity or amount
an overdose of fun
over·dose
ˌō-vər-ˈdōs
overdosed; overdosing; overdoses
: to give an overdose or too many doses to
: to take or experience an overdose
—usually used with on
Examples of overdose in a Sentence
Noun
She died from a cocaine overdose.
Recent Examples on the Web
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
Harm reduction can encompass a range of practices, including handing out free needles to slow the spread of disease, and many local leaders credit some of those efforts with recent drops in fatal overdoses.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Lev Facher, STAT, 12 Feb. 2026
Three of the individuals who died in the cold were found to have likely overdosed, officials said, with 13 others determined to have died partly due to hypothermia.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overdose
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Noun
Minnelli's own addiction began after Garland's surprising death from an accidental overdose in 1969.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
Harm reduction can encompass a range of practices, including handing out free needles to slow the spread of disease, and many local leaders credit some of those efforts with recent drops in fatal overdoses.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
Verb
Meth users, for instance, typically smoke the drug, and commingling pipes with people who use fentanyl risks meth users overdosing after unwittingly smoking leftover fentanyl residue.
—Lev Facher, STAT, 12 Feb. 2026
Three of the individuals who died in the cold were found to have likely overdosed, officials said, with 13 others determined to have died partly due to hypothermia.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overdose
Cite this Entry
“Overdose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overdose. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
overdose
2 of 2 verb
over·dose
ˌō-vər-ˈdōs
1
: to give an overdose or too many doses to
2
: to take or experience an overdose
overdosed on heroin
Medical Definition
overdose
1 of 2 noun
over·dose
ˈō-vər-ˌdōs
: too great a dose (as of a therapeutic agent)
an overdose of exposure to the sun—Morris Fishbein
Morris Fishbein
also
: a lethal or toxic amount (as of a drug)
overdose
2 of 2 verb
over·dose
ˌō-vər-ˈdōs
overdosed; overdosing
: to give an overdose or too many doses to
: to take or experience an overdose
—usually used with on
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